"Unlimited" Meet video call length extended for free accounts through March 2021 (UPDATED 2022)

Today Google announced that Meet meetings would not be limited to 60 minutes through March 2021.

Update March 30, 2021: this deadline has been extended through June 2021.

Update June 2021: Google introduced Google Workspace Individual in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and Australia. Personal accounts in those countries need to subscribe to host group Meet meetings longer than 60 minutes. Outside those countries the 60 minute limit is not in force. All one-to-one Meet calls continue to have a 24 hour limit.  (As of January 2022, this is still the situation)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Google extended a number of premium Meet video calling features to free and lower-tier G Suite accounts. Those are due to expire on September 30.

Free Google accounts would be limited to 60 minute meetings. But Google has announced an extension:

As we look ahead to a holiday season with less travel and important milestones like family reunions, PTA meetings and weddings hosted over video, we want to continue helping those who rely on Meet to stay in touch over the coming months. As a sign of our commitment, today we’re continuing unlimited Meet calls (up to 24 hours) in the free version through March 31, 2021 for Gmail accounts. 

With today's announcement, anyone with a free account can continue to host a Google Meet video meeting up to 24 hours long, which is "unlimited" for all intents and purposes.

This is longer than Google Hangouts video calls, which are limited to 8 hours. 

What is changing for G Suite Meet users September 30? 

Barring a surprise announcement, if you have a G Suite Basic, Business, or Nonprofits account, you will no longer be able to use Meet premium features after September 30. This includes recording, live streaming within your domain, and up to 250 participants in a meeting.

G Suite for Education accounts will be able to continue recording meetings until Meet implements a new recording feature for education accounts. Eventually education accounts will be able to create temporary recordings that are only shareable within their domain and expire after 30 days.

Update January 2022: temporary recordings never materialized, and all Education accounts were able to continue creating recordings until this month. As of January 10, 2022, only Google Workspace Education Plus and Teaching & Learning Upgrade accounts can record their meetings.

How does free Meet compare to G Suite with Meet?

When you use Meet with your free Google account, you do not have access to all of Met's features. 

Fore example free accounts cannot have dial-in participants, record meetings, or run polls. 

See a full comparison of Meet features with different types of accounts. 

Learn more

• Stay connected with Google Meet
• New Duo and Meet features