Google Duo: Skype, FaceTime has a new competitor
FollowFinally, in response to Apple's FaceTime, Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's Messenger, Google has launched its video chatting app - Google Duo.
The video calling app, which was first announced by Google three months ago at its I/O developer conference, aims to take the “complexity out of video calling“. It is available for Android and iOS users.
“Video calling is the next best thing to being with someone in person. We have designed the interface to be simple, easy and welcoming. In places like India, it has been designed to adapt to the network connectivity conditions. We hope to make the experience of video calling more personal, inviting easy and smooth,” Google Group Product Manager Amit Fulay said in a statement.
The rollout of Duo for Android and iOS starts today, and it will be live worldwide in the next few days. To ensure privacy and security, all Duo calls are end-to-end encrypted.
Duo allows users to connect using their phone numbers, without a separate username/account.
Among several other features, Google has introduced a new feature ‘Knock Knock’ - that allows people to see a live video of the caller before they answer.
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“Duo has been built to be fast and reliable, so that video calls connect quickly and work well even on slower networks.
The call quality adjusts to changing network conditions when bandwidth is limited, and Google claims that Duo will 'gracefully' reduce the resolution to keep the call going smoothly.
For video calls on the go, Duo can switch between Wi-Fi and cellular data automatically without dropping the call.
Google had offered a video chat option for its chat - Hangouts as well. So time will tell if this will net Google more users.
