Google Duo will meet Google Meet to become Google Meet later this year
India Today
Yes, it is confusing, but Google says the transition will be smoother as it will merge both services to form a single video communications service.
Google on Thursday announced that it is combining two of its video-calling apps, Google Duo and Google Meet. The company said that it will be combing two of its popular video calling apps and merging the missing features. In the coming weeks, Google will begin adding Meet features to Duo.
The company aims at simplifying its communication services. “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,” the company said in its blog post.
This does not mean that users will have to download Google Meet or Google Duo separately. Google said that it will rename the Duo app to Google Meet later this year. Google Meet will become the single video communications service across Google that is available to everyone at no cost.
Google introduced many features in Duo like group calls for up to 32 people, the addition of doodles, masks, effects with family mode, and video calling compatibility on various devices. The missing features will make their way to Meet in the coming days.
As for Google Meet, the app has over 100 new features and improvements since it was made available for everyone in 2020. Some of the new features include virtual backgrounds and effects, live captions, an intuitive interface, etc.
The reason behind merging Duo with Meet is said to be the former’s sophistication, especially under the hood, according to Dave Citron, the director of products for Google’s video products. Citron told The Verge that the service is quite popular in emerging markets, especially where network connectivity is sparse or highly variable.
Google aims at offering 100 per cent of the functionality of both its apps. Meanwhile, it also stated that the company does not want to leave behind any users while it works on combing the two apps.
