In November, Zoom — the video conferencing app that has soared in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic — announced it would lift its 40-minute time limit for the Thanksgiving holiday so family gatherings “don't get cut short.”

What You Need To Know

  • On Wednesday, video conferencing app Zoom announced it will lift its 40-minute time limit for four upcoming holidays

  • The time limit will be lifted for the last day of Hanukkah, Christmas, the last several days of Kwanzaa, and the New Year

  • Zoom's announcement comes as the CDC urges Americans not to travel in order to slow the spread of COVID-19

  • The video conferencing company previously lifted its time limit for those with a free subscription on Thanksgiving

As cases of the coronavirus pandemic continue to soar through the winter months, the CDC is urging Americans yet again to forego holiday travel in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. 

In turn, Zoom announced it will lift its video-conferencing time limit around dates for not one, but four upcoming holidays to spread some seasonal cheer.

“COVID-19 has changed how we live, work, and celebrate in 2020, and like everything else this year, the holiday season doesn’t look the same,” the company wrote in a statement Wednesday. “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 special occasions.”

The time limit will be lifted for the last day of Hanukkah, Christmas, the last several days of Kwanzaa, and the New Year. The last night of Hanukkah is tonight, Dec. 18; Christmas falls on Friday, Dec. 25; Kwanzaa begins on Saturday, Dec. 26 and continues through the first of January.

The exact dates and times of the lifts are: 

  • 10 a.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 17, to 6 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 19

  • 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 23, to 6 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 26

  • 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 30, to 6 a.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 2

Customers with free Zoom plans won’t need to take any action to lift the time limit, as it will automatically be applied to every account. 

Zoom is offering the free time as a token of gratitude to its customers — typically, people with a free subscription on the platform are limited to one 40-minute call at a time and can host up to 100 participants. Paid plans do not have time limits.