What you need to know
- Google has announced that it is merging its Meet and Duo video calling services.
- The Google Duo will soon have all the features of Google Meets, including scheduling, captions and more.
- The Google Duo will still retain its features and be renamed “Google Meet” later this year.
There has been rumor about Google merging its video calling services for some time now, and it looks like the move is now official. The search giant announced via its Workspace blog that it would soon merge Google Duo and Google Meet into a single video calling app.
It should be called: Google Meet. That’s right, as the consumer- and workplace-focused apps fought for dominance, the latter won in the long run. However, it is not entirely bad.
First, “Meet” is apparently a much better name than “Duo” and gets the point of the app much better. And given Google’s incoherent history of messaging apps, the merger should help simplify things, at least for video chat.
Google says the Duo’s current features will remain on the app after the transition. This means you will continue to make calls to friends and family via the same methods, filters, etc. Existing messages and history will also remain on the app, so you do not have to worry about losing any of them.
This month, Google will merge the two services by bringing Google Meets features into the Duo. This means you will be able to schedule meetings and integrate with apps like Gmail and Calendar, share content live, chat in meetings, have access to real-time captions and more. The meetings will also support up to 100 members.
“As part of our mission to build a connected experience for all users, we are excited to bring our video calling and meeting technologies together in a single, powerful, user-friendly solution,” said Javier Soltero, Vice President and General. Head of Google Workspace. “Video communication is a major area of focus for us, and you will continue to see our investment in Google Meet to help people connect, collaborate, and share experiences on any device, at home, at school, and at work.”
Google says they want to make the transition as smooth as possible. Later this year, the Duo will be renamed “Google Meet”, and current users will not need to download a new app. The upgraded app will be available on Android phones and iOS devices.