: Google, Pocketnow
Rumors surfaced again in 2020 that Google was planning on sunsetting Google Duo in favor of Google Meet, however that plan seems to have been deserted in 2021. As a substitute, the corporate introduced just a few Google Meet options onto the video chatting utility. Now although, it appears like Google is delivering on its early plans, and it’s merging the 2 profitable platforms, however why?
Google developed a plethora of messaging apps in the previous, most of which have been sunsetted and shut down after just a few months and years. In a uncommon, however not shocking transfer, Google introduced that it’ll merge Google Duo and Google Meet right into a single app, making it simpler to collaborate and video chat with household, associates, and colleagues.
The brand new transfer goals to deliver Google Meet options into Google Duo to make scheduling video conferences simpler and simply accessible. The Google Duo branding can be gone, and it’ll get replaced with Google Meet to deliver the 2 platforms below a single roof, more likely to make managing and growing extra easy for the engineers. Google additionally ensures in its weblog submit that current video calling options from Duo are right here to remain, “together with the power to make video calls to family and friends by telephone quantity or e-mail handle, use enjoyable filters and results, ship messages, and ask Google Assistant to name utilizing current units.” All the dialog historical past, contacts and messages will stay out there and accessible in the app, and there can be no steps required from customers to do something.
Moreover, Google introduced that Duo will obtain the next options as soon as the merge is full:
Customise digital backgrounds in calls and meetingsSchedule conferences so everybody can be part of at a time that’s handy for themUse in-meeting chat for deeper engagementLive share content material to allow interplay with all contributors on the callGet real-time closed captions to raised help accessibility and increase participationIncrease dimension of video calls from a present restrict of 32 to 100 participantsIntegrate with different instruments, together with Gmail, Google Calendar, Assistant, Messages and extra
Why isn’t Google shutting down Duo?
Earlier than we speak concerning the particulars, let’s check out Google Duo and Google Meet’s historical past. Duo was introduced at Google I/O 2016 alongside Google Allo. The previous was later shut down in 2019, whereas Duo loved a variety of success. One of many essential causes Duo succeeded lies in its ease of use and ease. The video calling utility was shortly built-in into many different companies and functions, and it’s nonetheless the perfect FaceTime competitor on Android.
However, Google Meet began as Hangouts Meet, a videoconferencing utility constructed and built-in into Hangouts (a now lifeless messaging app). The 2 apps have been later break up in half, and Google spin-off Google Meet as a enterprise characteristic, a substitute for Zoom to assist individuals all over the world talk throughout the top of the pandemic.
The first motive Google doesn’t wish to cast off Duo altogether is in its energy to succeed in individuals. Google Duo is put in on greater than 5 billion units, because it’s a part of Google’s companies and licensing settlement. It’s utilized by tens of millions of individuals, and pulling the plug on probably the most profitable Google functions would simply be a foolish and financially boring transfer. Google Meet’s energy is that it’s a part of Google Workspace, which is utilized by companies of all sizes.
At Google I/O 2022, the corporate additionally introduced a number of new units – together with the Pixel Buds Professional, Pixel 6A, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional. It additionally teased the Pixel Pill, exhibiting that it takes {hardware} and companies extra significantly. Google is growing a Pixel ecosystem that extra carefully competes in opposition to Samsung and Apple. The brand new transfer will assist Google turn out to be a fair larger participant in the sphere of messaging and video calling, leveraging the ability of Android. The software program big can even be capable of promote its units to enterprise customers, and supply Google Workspace as the first service, taking over different competing enterprise suites.
Merging Google Duo with Google Meet will make sure that the corporate retains dominating the video calling market, and it would simply assist it tackle different platforms. Trying on the large image, the long run appears shiny, however let’s not neglect that Google may announce a brand new messaging and video platform at any time quickly and shut it down just a few months later to experiment with new options.
