Zoom video conferencing has exploded in popularity during the coronavirus outbreak, with a staggering 200 million people now using the software daily. It’s the closest thing many have got to an in-person meeting in the office, especially with a free tier which has all the features most people are looking for.
How long is a Zoom free meeting?
Zoom’s free tier offers up to 100 participants to be in a meeting for up to 40 minutes. Once that mark has been reached, everyone will be kicked out of the call. This is probably the most frustrating thing about Zoom, but understandably it encourages people to pay for a subscription.
This starts at £11.99 per month, which extends the time limit to 24 hours. Do note it’s only the host that needs to subscribe. The time limit is then extended to 24 hours. See the full range of subscriptions here.
How do I get around the Zoom time limit?
Here’s the clever bit. For this to work you’ll have to Schedule a meeting, as opposed to jumping into one straight away.
In the settings window that appears, select Other Calendars under the Calendar heading.
Hit Schedule and all the info about the meeting will appear, including that all-important ID. Copy and paste this and send it to all your potential participants.
Once the call gets close the official 40-minute limit, a countdown clock will appear in the meeting window. At this point, the host should choose Leave Meeting (not End for All!). While it might look like the meeting has ended, if everyone clicks on the original joining link a new 40-minute period will start over again.
It’s not a perfect solution, but will at least force everyone to take a break from what they are doing.
Via Techadvisor