Google’s Hangouts Meet platform is slowly growing into an excellent platform for businesses to host video conferences. It comes as a part of all three G Suite Editions. But not every edition has the same Google Meet features. One of which is the maximum number of participants available per meeting. In this article, we are going to talk about What is the Participant Limit in Google Meet? Let’s begin!
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Recent Enhancements
In March 2020, Google opened up the premium Google Meet features for all G Suite editions. This means that every edition now supports up to 250 participants, recording. And a live streaming feature. But there is a catch. These benefits will only apply up to September 30, 2020.
After that, it is going to be business as usual with the G Suite editions. But any of the Meet recordings that you might have made in the meantime will be stored in Google Drive.
This upgrade is an excellent opportunity for your organization to take advantage of all Google Meet features.
Google Meer Participants in Standard G Suite Editions
As already mentioned, Google Meet, or Hangout Meet as it is better known, is a part of the G Suite account. An increasing number of businesses and organizations have started using it, and with good reason. It’s lightweight and very efficient when it comes to video conferencing. It also supports a lot of participants. Here are the numbers for each G Suite:
Basic – 100 participants
Business – 150 participants
Enterprise – 250 participants
Compared to some competitors, even the Basic edition supports more video call participants. It is very important to point out that these numbers include external participants as well. This means that even people who are not a part of your organization can join the meeting.
All three of the G Suite editions support the External participant’s feature. If they have a Google account, they can join the meeting with an invitation through the link. But even if an external participant does not have a Google account. Then it does not mean they cannot participate in the meeting. But it does mean that the person who organized the meeting has to give them access to join.
It also works by sending an invitation via the link. But when the person who gets the invitation clicks on it, they’ll have to ask to join, instead of automatically joining. Once they are authorized, they are good to go.
Important Note: If you do not have a Google account, you can only use the web browser for Google Meet. You can’t sign in using Android or iOS apps.
Google Meet Live Stream
If your organization uses the G Suite Enterprise Edition, then you can turn on the live stream feature whenever you want. But only if you are the G Suite administrator. Up to 100,000, people can watch a Google Meet video meeting.
The G Suite users all get a stream URL which they can then send to other participants. In turn, those participants are only able to view the stream but cannot control it in any way.
Google Meet participants who are full users of the G Suite within the organization can control some parts of the meeting. For instance, they can start and stop the stream and also record the event if they want to.
If you are the G Suite Enterprise Administrator, then this is what you need to do to start the live stream:
- Sign in and go to the Admin console Home page. Then follow this route Apps>G Suite>Hangouts and Google Hangouts.
- Then select “Meet settings”.
- Select “Stream” and then check the “Let people stream their meetings”.
- Then select “Save”.
These changes are not always instantaneous. It usually takes a few minutes, but it can sometimes take up to 24 hours. All of which is important to keep in mind when you are scheduling a live stream.
How many Participants is too many
At the time of writing, Google Meet supports up to 250 participants for every edition. And the live stream is also part of the deal. After September 30, things go back to the way they were.
But who knows, perhaps Google will see the benefit of the current model and allow the premium feature for all editions. In the meantime, even the 100 participants in the Basic edition is a lot. And external participants are welcome, whether they have a Gmail account or not.
Conclusion
Alright, That was all Folks! I hope you like this Participant Limit in Google Meet article and find it helpful to you. Give us your feedback on it. Also if you guys have further queries related to this article. Then let us know in the comments section below. We will get back to you shortly.
Have a Great Day!
Also See: How to Turn the Camera On in Google Meet
