December 22, 2020
Gabriel Benois/Unsplash.com
Zoom lifts time limits on its free calls for the holiday season.
While the holidays will look a little different for everyone this year, Zoom is making sure people around the world can stay connected to their loved ones.
The video call company announced that it will be lifting the time limit on its free calls during the holidays. Free calls are typically capped at 40 minutes.
"As a token of appreciation to our users during an extraordinary time, we're removing the 40-minute limit on free Zoom accounts for all meetings globally for several upcoming occasions," the company said in a blog post.
Here's when you can Zoom all night long:
10 a.m. ET Wednesday Dec. 23 to 6 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 26
10 a.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 30 to 6 a.m. ET on Saturday, Jan 2
The time limit was also lifted on the last night of Hanukkah, from Dec. 17 to 19.
We will be lifting the 40-minute limit for holiday celebrations. ✨ Check out all the details: https://t.co/V0eTl8aIGB #ZoomTogether pic.twitter.com/0MlZt7BRdW
— Zoom (@zoom_us) December 17, 2020
Local and federal government officials have cautioned against traveling during the holiday season as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country. Zoom also lifted video call time limits for the Thanksgiving holiday.
There have been more than 87,000 coronavirus cases and 2,000 deaths in Philadelphia alone since the start of the pandemic this spring. The city reported that community transmission rates in Philadelphia are high.
The time limit will be automatically lifted during the designated times, so customers don't need to do anything different to receive the extra time, Zoom said.
To make your holiday meet-up seamless, Zoom said users should create a meeting passcode and waiting room to keep unwanted guests out. There are festive virtual backgrounds and video filters available for download as well.
Here's a breakdown of how to use Zoom, with some basic tips and advice.
