Zoom will drop its 40-minute time limit for Christmas

Many people are changing their Christmas plans this year due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. In its latest guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended avoiding travel and large, in-person gatherings.

For many, staying home for the holidays means breaking long-standing traditions of getting together with family and other loved ones. Those of us who are at least a little tech-savvy will likely give a virtual gathering a try. This is where people can use their smartphones or computers to connect on video.

But, anyone familiar with using Zoom knows the virtual meeting platform ordinarily has a 40-minute time limit for anyone with a free account. That can be a real downer if you’re trying to enjoy some quality family time together over a long distance.

So, Zoom announced a special holiday gift for all of its users that it first offered on Thanksgiving: They’re giving everyone the chance to Zoom without the usual 40-minute limit on free accounts for Christmas and New Year’s.

“We will be lifting the 40-minute limit for holiday celebrations,” the company posted on Twitter.

There are two windows: The unlimited Zooming zone for Christmas begins at 10 a.m. ET Dec. 23 and runs through 6 a.m. ET Dec. 26. For New Year’s, you can Zoom without limits from 10 a.m. ET on Dec. 30 until 6 a.m. ET on Jan. 2.

You can read the full details and learn how to get started with Zoom if you haven’t already here.

To avoid any delays over the holidays due to set-up issues or questions, we advise connecting with everyone you want on your Zoom meeting ahead of time to make sure they are signed up for their free account.  The holidays can get busy and chaotic, so if everyone has their profile active and ready to go, all you need to do is set a time to start the meeting.

Then, enjoy your holiday together with a new twist on old traditions.