Duo is available now in the App Store and Google Play Store.
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Dubbed “Duo”, the app will feel familiar to those who prefer video calls to old-fashioned audio ones, but has some new features both on the front and back ends that developers hope will convince users to add yet another app to their likely crowded phones. As demonstrated in this Google video of people that are just incredibly delighted to be receiving a Duo call, a feature called Knock Knock streams live video of the person making the call, visible to the person receiving it even before they answer.
Earlier today Google launched Duo. Meanwhile, Google’s Hangouts, another video and messaging app, is intended for enterprise users. But, at least for now, Duo isn’t going to completely replace your existing video calling app. This feature allows a preview video of the caller before you answer so you can see what you’re about to get into.
We designed Duo to feel warm and inviting, focused on just you and the person you’re calling. Google Duo allows users to connect in a video call using only their phone numbers, and it ensures end-to-end encryption to reinforce privacy and security. Luckily for you, there’s an APK file available to download right away, but first, let us give you a brief rundown of the application itself. The second will be called Allo, and is a more traditional chat app that integrates Google’s artificial intelligence to help people consult a robot during their conversations.
During my tests from Android and iOS devices, both the video and audio quality of calls conformed to the quality of my network connection, excellent in a robust environment, less so when the connection was poky.
From a technical standpoint, Google is touting a seamless video calling experience on the app, even if two friends use different operating systems.
I have only used Duo a couple of times. All of this makes Duo great, at least on paper.
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Pro. Simple way to make and receive video calls. Service is bare boned.
