Due to the current lockdown, millions of people are now using video conferencing apps such as Google Meet in their daily lives.
Aside from meeting with co-workers, individuals rely on the software to talk to healthcare professionals and their loved ones. Google Meet is also useful to students who are learning from home.
According to the tech company, Google Meet’s peak usage has increased by thirty times since January.
In April, Meet hosted 3 billion minutes of video meetings and added about 3 million new users every day. What’s more, the video conferencing app’s daily meeting participants surpassed 100 million last week.
As impressive as the numbers are, Google is set to open the video conferencing app to more people. Individuals can now broadcast a call on Google Meet for anyone to join.
In a blog post announcement, vice president and GM of GSuite, Javier Soltero said:
“Today, we’re making Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, free for everyone, with availability rolling out over the coming weeks. “
Categories of Users that Can Benefit From Google Meet
Here are the categories of users that can benefit from this free video conferencing app.
1. Google Meet Account for Individuals
Google originally designed Meet as a collaborative tool for businesses and organizations. As such, it has never been available outside of G Suite — until now.
According to Google, individual users can now create a Google Meet account and host video calls for various purposes. This includes fitness classes, neighborhood meetings, book clubs, etc.
Although sessions would be limited to 60 minutes for the free product, Google doesn’t intend to enforce the time limit until after September 30.
2. For Groups and Teams
Google is making G Suite Essentials available for free until September 30.
Organizations that are not already using cloud computing and collaboration software will now have access to G Suite Essentials. This provides access to advanced features such as larger meetings, meeting recordings, and dial-in phone numbers, among others.
3. For Businesses and Organizations
New and current enterprise customers can access Google Meet for free until September 30, using three different methods.
The first involves free access to the video conferencing app’s advanced features for all G Suite Customers. One of these functionalities includes the ability to live stream for up to 100,000 viewers within your domain.
The second method entails free additional Meet licenses for existing G Suite customers without changing the current contract. Another option is the free G Suite Essentials for enterprise customers.
4. Google Meet for Schools and Higher-ed Institutions
Schools that are currently not using G Suite for Education can now enable Meet at no additional cost. Meanwhile, schools that are not using the software suite can sign-up for free.
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