I’m annoyed at all the jokes people make about Google killing people at will.I think that’s because I know the ecosystem so well that these types of usually change directly affect me. Google’s latest assassination target is Duo, which is now being combined with Meet into a video-calling app.Although it frustrates me, it’s another great Why are there so many examples killed by google joke.
today, Google has migration plans for Duo’s timely demise blog post Details the update. The Duo app on Android and elsewhere will gain Meet-like features in the coming weeks, including virtual backgrounds and the ability to coordinate and schedule video conferences with multiple participants. Captions will also be available, and video calls will be able to scale up to 100 participants.
Google won’t officially convert Duo to Meet until later this year.When it happens, the experience shouldn’t be much different on your Android device and a Google Assistant-led smart display. Your conversation history, contacts and messages will continue without you having to download a new app.
In the past, Google Meet was reserved for professional settings because it was an app you could log into from a computer or Chromebook, while Google Duo was for use in a mobile environment. Some of the benefits of Google Duo include group calling, fun effects, and the ability to leave video messages when the other person can’t answer the call. I often describe Google Duo as the Android version of Apple’s FaceTime, although I mostly use it to communicate with my immediate family, not others — that’s the problem.
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When I told my husband about the changes Google was making to Duo, his first reaction was “finally.” It doesn’t make sense for Google to have two different video chat apps between its platforms.
The company seems to be aware of this, too. Javier Soltero, head of Google Workspace, told edge “It’s really important to understand how people choose what tool they’re going to use, for what purpose, and under what circumstances.” Google sees people doing it based on their Google account or Gmail address. By integrating these two video applications, all you need now is a contact address, rather than anything else. It’s similar to the infrastructure behind Apple’s FaceTime.
Google Duo isn’t completely gone — at least not in spirit. The rest of its features will be rolled up into the new Meet, including the fun part I mentioned earlier. It also reduces reliance on third-party chat apps like WhatsApp for video calling.Even though Google Duo is available on iOS, it’s hard to convince any friends or family with an iPhone or iPad to download it other App to call my Android device or Google Smart Display. Going forward, all we need from each other is our respective Google Accounts.
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