#Video chat google duo android#

It runs on Wi-Fi and cellular networks, automatically switching between different types and speeds of connection and adjusting video quality.ĭuo also uses phone numbers, rather than a Google account or Gmail address, making it easier to call friends, family and other people already stored on smartphone contact lists.

#Video chat google duo android#

The app works with mobile devices running Google's Android operating system and Apple Inc.'s iOS. Now Google is trying again with a new video chat application called Duo. 1 form of electronic correspondence in the U.S.īut as traditional email falls out of favor with a growing sliver of the population, Google has struggled to make its messaging tools relevant or introduce new ones that resonate with younger users. WhatsApp users can stay on WhatsApp for chat, but they can add this Duo app to their arsenal.Google nailed email with the 2004 introduction of Gmail. Presumably, though, Google knew it could not compete with the WhatsApp juggernaut in chat, so a standalone video app was made, with a Whatsapp clone to go with it. Normally, a company would be expected to include video chat capabilities in its new messaging app-like Hangouts or Facebook Messenger or (eventually) WhatsApp. Launching two communication apps at the same time seemed strange, but the idea was that Google could pitch Duo as a companion to WhatsApp as well as Allo. It used SMS-based phone number identification instead of a Google account, and it was restricted to one device at a time, following the very non-Googley way that WhatsApp works.

Here's a quick recap of the long history of Google communication apps: Google Duo launched in 2016 as a standalone video chat app with a 'companion' messaging app called 'Google Allo.' Google had just failed in its attempt to buy WhatsApp two years earlier (Facebook made the $22 billion acquisition instead), so it fired up its photocopiers for Google Allo, which was a straight-up WhatsApp clone. Google has not clarified which products are being unified, but it should mean that Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Google Chat, Google Messages, Google Duo, and Google Voice will all live under one roof. The move comes after Google unified its communication teams under Google Workspace VP and GM Javier Soltero (the author of Google's blog post) in 2020. Later this year, we’ll rename the Duo app to Google Meet, our single video communications service across Google that is available to everyone at no cost.'

Google says that 'existing video calling features from Duo are here to stay' and that 'in the coming weeks, we’re adding all the Google Meet features to the Duo app, so users can easily schedule a video meeting at a time that works for everyone, or continue using video calling to instantly connect with a person or group.

While the Google Duo brand is dying, it sounds like the Duo codebase will live on as the basis for the new Google Meet. Google officially confirmed the move on Wednesday, explaining in a blog post that the goal is to create a 'single video communications service' and that the Duo brand will go away in favor of Google Meet. The long-rumored Google Duo and Google Meet merger is actually happening.