Google Meet premium video-calling service is now free for everyone

In a bid to get most users on their platforms during the lockdown, tech firms like Google, Microsoft and Facebook have been updating their video conferencing platforms regularly. We've seen some of them even making a few features free of cost for a limited time. However, Google here seems to have hit a home run. The search giant has made its Google Meet, the premium video conferencing platform, absolutely free for everyone around the globe.

This means now all can enjoy the premium Google Meet features free of cost. The availability for this will be rolling out to all in the coming weeks and users can start signing up for it from next month (May).

"Today, we're making Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, free for everyone, with availability rolling out over the coming weeks," confirmed Javier Soltero, vice president and general manager of Google Suite. "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," he added.

Also read: How Google Meet keeps video conferences protected

For what's worth, earlier this month Google extended the access to Meet's premium features till September for all G Suite users. Previously, this was valid till July.

Google's Meet platform currently said to host 3 billion minutes of video meetings and is adding roughly 3 million new users every day. The firm has even witnessed Meet's peak daily usage grow by 30x since January this year.

Just last month, Google brought four few features to its Meet video conferencing platform. This included tiled layout for larger calls, Present a Chrome tab, support for low-light mode and new noise-cancellation feature.