Software
Zoom to lift the 40-minute Thanksgiving meeting cap for longer family hangouts
Zoom said earlier this week it would remove its standard 40-minute cap on free Thanksgiving Day video chats and make it easier to share time with friends and relatives on US holidays. Given the spikes in COVID-19 cases nationwide and the myriad new and current constraints on interstate travel, this year's Thanksgiving is expected to be an unusual affair featuring a combination of in-person and interactive hangouts using video conferencing apps such as Zoom.
The 40-minute cap has been one of the main drawbacks of the Zoom Simple plan during the pandemic, sometimes prompting groups to resume the chat after the time limit has expired and creating a reasonable amount of frustration throughout the discussion or virtual meeting process. Many of Zoom's rivals have implemented similar limitations, including Google Meet (60-minute cap) and Cisco Webex (50-minute limit), and all providers charge extra for enterprise-grade services that abolish the limit and maximize the number of participants permitted.
As a thank you to our customers, we will be lifting the 40-minute limit for all meetings globally from midnight ET on Nov. 26 through 6 a.m. ET on Nov. 27 so your family gatherings don't get cut short. #ZoomTogether pic.twitter.com/aubsH0tfxG
— Zoom (@zoom_us) November 10, 2020
But Zoom, which appeared as the face of a videoconferencing boom triggered by a pandemic earlier this year would benefit if it eliminates this cap, even for a day, on a high-traffic holiday like Thanksgiving. In this way, it will become a virtual celebration destination and further develop its forum as a way to communicate with others during the pandemic.
It is just a temporary elimination of the 40-minute restriction from midnight on Thanksgiving Day (26 November) to 6 AM ET on 27 November. Yet the fact that Zoom is doing this at all—and that it is sure to go a long way towards having consumers participate in video chat as a replacement for conventional family gathering—speaks volumes about the bizarre and uncharted terrain we're experiencing this holiday season as COVID-19 continues to rage in the US.
It is also a strong reminder that, considering the bleak coronavirus predictions from health authorities and the recent surge of positive outcomes in nearly every US state, it is easier to focus on technology to fill the void than to take the risk of flying at riskier periods of the year like Thanksgiving.
