SF Gate
Google on Wednesday said it’s making its teleconferencing service, called Google Meet, free to consumers. The move takes aim at Zoom , the rival video chat service that’s become a household name during the stay-at-home era spurred by the novel coronavirus.
Previously, Meet was only available to paying customers of G Suite, Google’s line of enterprise apps that includes Gmail, Drive and Docs. Until now, anyone could join a meeting by clicking on a link, but creating a meeting required a G Suite membership.
The free version of the product requires a Google account, and video calls have a 60-minute cap. But Google said it won’t enforce that rule until after Sept. 30. The free version will also allow up to 100 participants and include features such as screen sharing and real-time captions.
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