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Weekly Update - November 21, 2020: YouTube, Meet, Hangouts

 

As we head into the end of November, companies are working to release the last product updates for 2020. The next couple of weeks will be busy. This week there was a surprise YouTube Terms of Service update (with some controversial provisions), new Meet video call features, end-to-end encryption in Android Messages,new Twitter “Fleets” stories and more.

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This week is the Thanksgiving holiday in the US that focuses on gatherings of family and friends to feast and (at least theoretically) share thanks. It’s usually one of the busiest travel times of the year. This year, with coronavirus cases sharply on the rise in the US, people are being encouraged to stay home.

Companies are stepping up to help Americans (and people around the world) gather virtually.
  • Google Meet is being made available in classic Hangouts, and if you have been using Hangouts video calling it’s worth giving Meet a try. You can host a call with up to 100 participants (rather than 10), and there are live captions, background replacement and more.
  • Zoom is lifting the 40 minute meeting limit on Thanksgiving Day, so people anywhere in the world can chat all day for free.
  • And Microsoft Teams has opened up video calling on the web to free accounts. You can host an all-day video call with up to 300 people.
The weekend after Thanksgiving - from “Black Friday” to “Cyber Monday” - is usually the scene of mobs camped out at stores for the best deals and overloaded websites. Crowded indoor shopping shouldn’t be happening this year, and online deals have been trickling out over the past few weeks. If you want to see what will be on offer at the Google Store, check out the deals being unlocked over the next week.

Google is also supporting Black-owned businesses by promoting #BlackOwnedFriday and offering a free promotional kit.

YouTube

Publisher Tools

Video Calling

Communication

Social Media

Productivity

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That’s all the updates for this week. Subscribe to get the Weekly Update in your email inbox or favorite feed reader every week. Miss last week’s update? Get it here

Image of turkey feather by Josch13 from Pixabay (free to use)

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