Google Meet Now Offers Free Option

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/13/20

Google Meet

Google has just made premium functionality in its online video meeting software freely available to anybody with a Google e-mail account. As of this week, Google Meet enables users to host video meetings with up to 100 people for up to 24 hours. (Competitor Zoom cuts off freebie meetings at 40 minutes.) That unlimited amount of time will last until Sept. 30, 2020; then it will be shortened to 60 minutes in the free product.

Meet has been available to paying customers. Early on during virus closures, the company made advanced features free for use by organizations (such as schools) with G Suite. And last month Google announced that Meet would also be made available free for consumer user.

Among the features:

  • Basic scheduling and screensharing;

  • A tile layout that enables viewers to see up to 16 people at a time;

  • The ability for presenters using Google Chrome to share a single browser tab rather than showing their entire screen, which, the company noted, would enhance video and audio quality;

  • A lighting mode that brightens people's faces, even in a dark room or when they're sitting against a lighted background; and

  • Fairly accurate real-time captioning.

Recording is still a feature only available to users running Meet through G Suite.

On the security front, since Meet is built onto Google's existing account system, it has added layers of protection built in. That also adds to its complexity. You may find that recipients of invitations have to sign into a Google account to be able to access the meeting. Security features include host controls that allow the host to admit or deny entry to a meeting and mute and remove participants. Also, the company said that its video meetings are encrypted in transit and recordings stored in Google Drive are encrypted both in transit and in rest.

One new feature the company is experimenting with is background noise cancellation, the current enemy of productive video meetings everywhere. Google's servers handle the ambient noise suppression, to make voices clearer. That feature will be rolled out first to paying customers, then to web users, and finally to mobile users.

Meet is available for free on the web at meet.google.com and via mobile app for iOS and Android.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • cybersecurity analyst in a modern operations center monitors multiple digital screens showing padlock icons, graphs, and a global map with security markers

    Louisiana State University Doubles Down on Larger Student-Run SOC

    In an effort to provide students with increased access to real-world cybersecurity experience, Louisiana State University has expanded its relationship with cybersecurity solutions provider TekStream to launch TigerSOC, a new student-run security operations center.

  • flowing lines and geometric shapes representing data flow and analysis

    Complete College America Launches Center to Boost Data-Driven Student Success Strategies

    National nonprofit Complete College America (CCA) recently launched the Center for Leadership, Institutional Metrics, and Best Practices (CLIMB), with the goal of helping higher education institutions use data-driven strategies to improve student outcomes.

  • geometric pattern features abstract icons of a dollar sign, graduation cap, and document

    Maricopa Community Colleges Adopts Platform to Combat Student Application Fraud

    In an effort to secure its admissions and financial processes, Maricopa Community Colleges has partnered with A.M. Simpkins and Associates (AMSA) to implement the company's S.A.F.E (Student Application Fraudulent Examination) across the district's 10 institutions.