Breakout rooms in your video meeting
Just like a classroom: “get into pairs”, and ten seconds later everyone is working. The host splits the meeting into groups, sets a task and a timer, drops into any group and brings everyone back with one button. Free, with no time limit.
- Groups of 2, 3 or 4, or a set number of groups
- Random or manual
- A task, a timer and announcements to all
- Free, no 40-minute limit
Marta
Lukas
GiuliaWho uses groups
Tutors and language clubs
Speaking practice in pairs: each student talks for twenty minutes a lesson instead of two. The teacher listens to the pairs in turn.
Classes and courses
Small groups solve a problem or prepare a project, then each group reports back to everyone.
Gamers and teams
A general briefing, a split into squads with their own voice and chat, then everyone back for the debrief.
Workshops and team building
Brainstorming in teams of four, a timer for each round, a shared debrief at the end.
How groups work
Split in seconds
Pick the group size or the number of groups. Joyin does the maths and never leaves anyone on their own.
Task and timer
Every group sees the task. A one-minute warning before the end, and everyone returns automatically when time is up.
Call the host
A group taps the button, the host sees the signal and joins them. The host can also drop into any group uninvited.
A chat for each group
Only the group's members see its messages. Camera and microphone stay as they were when people move.
Saved group sets
Regular pairs and teams are saved by account and start in one click next time.
Host controls
Who is in which group, +2 minutes, an announcement to all groups, “Bring everyone back”.
Why groups are easier on Joyin
Groups of 2, 3 or 4, or a set number of groups · Random or manual · A task, a timer and announcements to all · Free, no 40-minute limit
How to split a meeting into groups
Groups work in the browser on a computer or phone. People on the mobile app stay in the main room for now. Only the main room is recorded.
Create a meeting
One button and the link is ready. Send it to your people.
Tap Groups
Choose how many people per group or how many groups, at random or by hand.
Set a task and a timer
For example: “discuss the question and pick who reports back”. Then split people at random or arrange them yourself.
Bring everyone back
By the timer or with “Bring everyone back”. Save the layout if the groups are regular.
Questions about groups
How much do breakout rooms cost?
Nothing. Groups, like the whole meeting, are free and have no time limit.
How many groups can I create?
Up to 20 groups in one meeting, with up to 100 participants. You choose the size: groups of 2, 3, 4 or 5, or a set number of groups.
Can participants choose their own group?
Yes, if the host turns that setting on. The host can also let people return to the main room on their own.
Do participants need an account?
No. Guests join by link and type a name. An account is only needed to save group sets: sets include people who have an account.
Are group conversations recorded?
No. Recording covers the main room only, and the host sees a note about it when creating groups.
Do groups work in the mobile app?
Not yet: groups work in the browser on a computer or phone. App users stay in the main room, so for a meeting with groups it is better to join by link from the browser.
How is this better than Zoom or Google Meet?
Google Meet only has breakout rooms on paid plans. Free Zoom has them, but the meeting ends after 40 minutes, groups included. On Joyin groups are free, have no timer and open in the browser.
How to use groups
Breakout rooms for online lessons: how to split a class into pairs
How tutors and teachers split an online lesson into pairs and small groups: at random or by hand, with a task and a timer, and everyone back in the main room with one button. Free, no 40-minute limit, in the browser, data in the EU.
How to split a team into squads on a voice call and bring them back
A general briefing for your clan or team, a split into squads with their own voice and chat, the captain drops into any squad, then everyone back for the debrief. Free, in the browser, nothing to install, no time limit.
Free breakout rooms without the 40-minute cut-off
Where breakout rooms are free in 2026: free Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Joyin compared. Why free Zoom ends your breakout rooms at 40 minutes, why Meet only has them on paid Workspace plans, and how to run group work in the browser without a subscription.
Best free video platform for online tutoring (no 40-minute limit)
What a private tutor needs from a video platform: one permanent link per student, lessons that are not cut off at 40 minutes, screen sharing for the whiteboard and textbook, files in chat, breakout pairs, recordings for parents, and a student side that works from a phone with no install. Free, servers in the EU.
Split your next meeting into groups
Create a meeting, send the link and tap Groups once everyone is in.