To remove this restriction, you will need to upgrade to the Google Workspace Individual Plan.
Millions of people worldwide have been forced to work remotely for nearly a year due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. Video calling services have seen a rise in popularity due to millions of people relying on them to hold meetings or catch up with their friends.
Google began offering unlimited free Meet Calls to Gmail users starting in April 2020. However, Google has now set a limit to the number of Meet calls that Gmail users can make.
Upgrade Your Gmail Account to Host Longer Group Meet Calls
Google Meet group calls could be hosted up to 24 hours, until June 2021. Google offered free 24-hour Meet calls for Gmail users up until September 30, 2020. After that, it extended the offer to Gmail users until September 30, 2020, then extended it to March 31, 2021, and again until June 30, 2021.
9to5Google first noticed that group Meet calls could now be limited to 60 minutes. Free Gmail account users can host one-on-one Google Meet Calls for up to 24 hours.
This limit of 60 minutes applies only to group Meet calls that have three or more participants. Google’s support page notes that the call will terminate in five minutes after 55 minutes. You can upgrade your Google account to continue the conversation or end it after five minutes.
Google Workspace Individual Plan Offers Premium Meet Features
You will need to upgrade to Google Workspace Individual to host larger group meetings via Google Meet. This plan costs $9.99/month. In addition, you will be able to record Meet calls, access breakout rooms, polls and unlock premium features such as noise cancellation to improve audio quality.
Google’s Workspace Individual plan is available for $7.99/month until January 2022. After that, the plan will cost $9.99/month. You can also get a 14-day trial to test out new features and decide whether it is worth the cost.
Even if your Google account is upgraded to Workspace Individual, the number of participants in your group Meet-ups will not exceed 100.
Although the 60-minute limit might be annoying for some, Google’s offer is better than Zoom’s free service that allows group meetings to last up to 40 minutes.
