Zoom has announced that it will be removing the usual 40-minute limit on free Zoom accounts for all meetings for the year-end holiday season. The company told The Verge the lifting of the time limit was done to give families more time to stay connected.
Normally, meetings with three or more people hosted on Zoom’s free tier cannot last longer than 40 minutes. Users that exceed this time limit will have to start another meeting and get all parties to reconnect to the meeting again. As you can guess, that can be a frustrating process if you have lots of people in a call.
We will be lifting the 40-minute limit for holiday celebrations. ✨ Check out all the details: https://t.co/V0eTl8aIGB #ZoomTogether pic.twitter.com/0MlZt7BRdW
— Zoom (@zoom_us) December 17, 2020
According to Zoom, the removal of the limit will be take effect between the following dates and times:
- 10AM ET (11PM Malaysian time) on Thursday, 17 December to 6AM ET (7PM Malaysian time) on Saturday, 19 December for the end of Hanukkah
- 10AM ET (11PM Malaysian time) on Wednesday 23 December to 6AM ET (7PM Malaysian time) on Saturday, 26 December for Christmas Eve and Christmas
- 10AM ET (11PM Malaysian time) on Wednesday, 30 December to 6AM ET (7PM Malaysian time) on Saturday, 2 January 2021 for New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the end of Kwanzaa
Zoom said in a blog post that users do not need to do anything to remove the limit as it will automatically be lifted during the designated times. The company gave these useful tips to users who are planning for virtual get-togethers:
- Protect your session from uninvited guests by requiring a meeting passcode to join and enabling Waiting Rooms – and don’t share your meeting IDs on social media or other public forums
- Learn how to get started on Zoom with basic tips and answers to frequently asked questions
- Download festive virtual backgrounds and have fun with video filters
- Get creative with how you Zoom — check out some ideas for hosting virtual parties and tips for connecting with family and friends
The company also reminded users to update their Zoom client to ensure all the latest product and security features are up to date.
The removal of the time limit in time for holidays would allow users to spend more time catching up with their friends and families who cannot travel home for the holiday season.
This is not the first time the company has removed the time limit for free users. It lifted the time limit for meetings on its platforms in time for the Thanksgiving Day in America in late November.
So, will you be using Zoom to reconnect and catch up with family and friends? Let us know how will you be spending the holidays in the comment section below.
