Google Meet won't limit meetings on free plans until March 31, 2021

[UPDATED, Sept 30: Article amended to reflect extension of unlimited Google Meet calls]

Unlimited-length meetings on Google Meet will be available to everyone for just a while longer. 

In a blog post on Tuesday (Sept 29), the tech giant announced that its premium video conferencing service will continue to allow access to unlimited Meet calls for all Gmail accounts till March 31, 2021.

This, after The Verge reported a Google spokesperson to have confirmed that there were no plans to extend the unlimited-length meetings in Google Meet beyond the promotional period, which would have expired on Sept 30.

Earlier this year, Google Meet was made free for everyone and meetings of up to 100 people can be organised with no time limit. Typically, those using the free version of Google Meet will have a maximum time limit of 60 minutes.

"As we look ahead to a holiday season with less travel and important milestones like family reunions, PTA meetings and weddings hosted over video, we want to continue helping those who rely on Meet to stay in touch over the coming months," wrote Google Meet’s group product manager Samir Pradhan. 

The extension of Google’s goodwill arrived alongside announcements of new features on Meet including background blur and a collaborative digital whiteboard, which will be rolling out in days to come.

This article was first published in Hardware Zone. Edited by AsiaOne.