This month, Google introduced that it had begun a gradual phase-out of its consumer-facing video calling app, Google Duo. In response to the tech agency, the feature-packed Google Duo will not be a part of the pre-installed apps on android cell phones. As a substitute, the corporate intends to mix all of its video options into its different video-calling app: Google Meets. Consequently, android customers with Google Duo app on their telephones will mechanically have the app’s icon change to Google Meet’s icon as quickly as they replace it.
In 2016, Google launched Duo, its first video calling app, to operate as a social app for folks to attach with themselves by way of video. The app began with a commendable adoption price by customers, particularly as all it required was dialing receiver’s telephone quantity. Nevertheless, its market was quickly eclipsed by the launch of the identical function on WhatsApp, one of many world’s most used social apps. It didn’t assist that, in contrast to WhatsApp, Duo wasn’t designed with on the spot messaging options.
The next 12 months, Google iterated on its video product and launched a “Duo-for-business app”, Google Meet, coming into right into a market dominated by older gamers like Zoom. Google Meet caught on properly, leveraging Google’s suite of enterprise merchandise to turn out to be a family title for a lot of companies throughout the globe.
Nevertheless, Google’s consumer-facing Duo couldn’t meet up with its rivals (like WhatsApp) the way in which the corporate’s business-facing Meet was doing on it’s personal (like Microsoft’s Groups and Zoom). Now, the tech behemoth has determined to discontinue the consumer-facing video messaging product and optimise its worth providing in Google Meets.
“We’re upgrading the Google Duo expertise to incorporate all Google Meet options and produce our two video calling companies collectively right into a single resolution. This improve, which began rolling out final month, provides everybody entry to new options like scheduling and becoming a member of conferences, digital backgrounds, in-meeting chat and extra, along with your present video calling options,” the corporate stated in a blog post.
“For those who’re utilizing the prevailing Google Meet app, there might be no change to your expertise. Your present Meet app and icon will change to Google Meet (unique). You’ll be able to proceed utilizing this app to affix and schedule conferences, however we advocate utilizing the up to date Google Meet app to get mixed video assembly and calling options multi function place” it added.