In response to the spread of COVID-19, Google made available the advanced features of Google Meet for free to connect more employees, educators, and students in April. The company had enabled the free access for advanced video conferencing capabilities to the G Suite customers. However, it had also said the free access to the advanced features would be available till 30 September only. The company seems to be ending the free access to the advanced features of Google Meet at the end of this month.
The tech giant has confirmed that it will end the free access to the premium features of Google Meet at the end of this month. The company will return these premium features behind the paywall of the G Suite Enterprise plan after 30 September. The news was first published on Pocket-Lint. As a response to the COVID lockdowns, Google had made these features available to everyone. As this is more of a confirmation than an announcement, we will tell you what settings will be affected by this change.
Google Meet Advanced Features
Google Meet users will lose access to the following premium features after 30th of September:
1. Larger meetings feature with which you can host up to 250 participants in a single call.
2. Live streaming feature for up to 100K viewers within your domain.
3. The feature with which you can securely record meetings to your Google Drive.
As these features are mostly aimed at and used by large businesses, Google locking them behind a paywall is justifiable. You still have about 20 days to enjoy those features but will have to pay for those after 30 September. If you need those features even after 30 September, keep a budget for the subscription of these premium features handy.
The COVID outbreak has made the work-from-home a new normal, and, as the meetings are being hosted virtually too, the need for Google Meet is inevitable. It solely depends on the needs of your organization, whether you need the premium features or can do with the free ones.
