A majority of the workforce has shifted to remote working due to the ongoing outbreak. Collaborative tools play a very important role when it comes to getting work done remotely. This is the reason why video conferencing tools like Zoom are seeing a big spike. Now Google has announced that Google Meet is free for anyone with a Google account.
Google Meet Premium video meetings – Free!
Today, we’re making Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, free for everyone, with availability rolling out over the coming weeks. Starting in early May, anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and enjoy many of the same features available to our business and education users, such as simple scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts that adapt to your preference, including an expanded tiled view.
Google says that anyone with a Google account can now use Meet from May onwards and host a meeting with up to 100 participants. Until now, Google Meet was available only for enterprise and education customers on GSuite. It seems like a limited time offer and will end on September 30th. Furthermore, it is also likely that Google will restrict the meeting length to 60 minutes. The company will also offer new features that will put people into the green room when they try to join a meeting and will be let in once approved by the host.
Below are some of the security measures that will come as default on Google Meet.
- Host controls include the ability to admit and deny someone into a meeting. The host can also mute or remove individual participants.
- Users without Google ID will not be allowed to join the meeting.
- Google says that their meeting codes are “complex by default and resilient to brute-force guessing.”
- No need to install/use a plugin. It directly works on Chrome and other modern browsers.
- Lastly, Google Meet data is not used for advertising or sold to third-party in any form.
With the rise in remote work, all eyes were on Zoom. However, the video conferencing app soon found itself surrounded by security and privacy issues. All of this caused people to distrust Zoom and this is something that competitors like Google Meet and Microsoft Skype want to cash in.
