A large number of Google services are available for free and this has undoubtedly helped the company grow to the extent it has. But some premium features are still locked behind paywalls and enhanced functionality for services like that Google Meet, Gmail and Drive are offered to paid Workspace customers and Google One subscribers. Not everyone has had access to the same paid upgrades, and now Google is doing something about it, bringing Meet features previously exclusive to Workspace to Google One subscribers.
In addition to the obvious benefit of more cloud storage, Google One memberships include some other nice benefits (eg VPN access). Eligible Google One subscribers will now get some additional Meet features, allow them to marathon (or endure) 24-hour meetings if they can sit, above the previous one-hour limit. of the platform system against background noise and the recorder utility is also unlocked.
Joking aside, Google suggests that you can use the 24-hour limit on Meet for virtual family gatherings and movie nights — until someone at the company develops a proper experience that rivals SharePlay. He also imagines that the notes feature could be used to catalog virtual celebrations like birthdays and other special moments, though we imagine you won’t have much cloud storage left if you make a habit of recording events that last 24 hours.
Unfortunately, these Meet features are only available to premium Google One subscribers who pay $100 per year for 2TB of Drive storage. The usual benefits of the most expensive Google One subscription remain unchanged: 10% back on Google Store purchases, VPN on Android and iOS, and access to a dedicated support team.
Google is initially rolling out the new Meet features to users in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and Australia. A rollout to more countries is on the cards for later, as are Meet, Gmail and Calendar features that are more shared on Workspace and Google One.