Google Meet has surpassed 50 million downloads on the Play Store, as people are using the service to work and socialize from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This increase in users is likely due to the service now being free for all users. It was previously only exclusively free for GSuite users, but Google decided to make it accessible for all users in an attempt to take on rivals like Zoom and Skype.
Google Meet passed five million downloads on the Play Store at the start of March, then quickly reached 10 million users 20 days later. In terms of Meet’s total daily usage through its iOS, Android and web platform, it hosts three billion minutes of video meetings every day.
For security purposes, Meet requires users to have a Google Account. Another security feature allows users to create and join meetings using codes. The service also supports AI-powered automatic live captioning, which can help people with impaired hearing participate in video meetings.
Similar to Zoom, free calls on Meet are limited to a single host and 100 participants. Skype and Messenger, on the other hand, limit their free services to 50 participants.
Although Google offers free video conferencing through its Hangouts platform, the tech giant says consumers should use Meet over Hangouts since it’s a more secure, reliable and modern service.
Via: Android Police
