Yahoo Finance Zoom to lift 40-minute limit for set periods during holidays
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Zoom has announced that it will lift the 40-minute limit on free accounts for all meetings, globally, for the upcoming festivities.
The limit will be removed for Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and Kwanzaa so that virtual holiday gatherings won’t have to be cut short.
It previously lifted it's 40-minute limit in November for the US’s Thanksgiving Day.
Normally, meetings on Zoom's free tier with three or more people cut off after 40 minutes.
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But just as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live and work in 2020, many will also be looking for alternative ways to safely celebrate the holidays with their loved ones, this year.
In recognition of this, and “as a token of appreciation to [it's] users during an extraordinary time”, the firm has decided to allow virtual holiday gatherings to run for as long as desired.
Here are the set times:
Last Day of Hanukkah: Thursday, 17 December 3pm UK time / 10am ET to Saturday, 19 December 11am UK time / 6 am ET
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: Wednesday, 23 December, 3pm UK time / 10am ET to 26 December 11am UK time / 6 am ET
New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Last Day of Kwanzaa: Wednesday, 30 December 3pm UK time / 10am ET to Saturday, 2 January 11am UK time / 6 am ET
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Users will not need to do anything to remove the limit themselves, as it will automatically be lifted during the designated times.
“Whether coming together on the final day of Hanukkah, celebrating Christmas, ringing in the New Year, or marking the last days of Kwanzaa, those connecting with friends and family won’t get cut short,” Zoom said.
The firm also encouraged users to set up meeting passwords, enable waiting rooms and not share meeting IDs on social media, to protect gatherings from uninvited guests.
