Google has confirmed that it will be combining two of its major communications services later this year, Google Duo and Meet. More specifically, the more personal video chat system, Duo will meld into the more professional video system Meet and they will be branded under a single name, Google Meet.
Google announced the upcoming changes on its Google Workspace blog on Wednesday, detailing that Google Duo end users don’t need to take any action as long as they have the latest version of the app installed.
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The transition is expected to begin in the coming weeks with Google Meet features being added to the Google Duo app. Once complete, the Duo app will be renamed Google Meet, with the app including features from both communications systems, Google added.
9to5Google noted that some of the first Google Meet features coming to Google Duo include:
- Custom virtual backgrounds for video communication
- Meeting scheduling
- In-meeting chatrooms
- In-call live-share of content
- Real-time closed captions
- Video call limit increased from 32 to 100 participants
- Google tools integration with Gmail, Google Calendar, Assistant, Messages, and more.
Google has been experimenting with its communication platforms for some time. Its merging of Duo and Meet appears to be an effort to make the services more efficient for users. Even so, Google Meet for the web will remain in its current iteration.
“What’s been really important is understanding how people make the choice as to what tool they’re going to use, for what purpose, in what circumstance,” head of Google Workspace Javier Soltero told The Verge.
In the past the brand has attempted in introduce different communication services for different purposes, only to see users favor some over others. We’ve seen a similar fate with services, such as the instant messenger Google Allo, which proved not as effective in the brand’s long-term plan.
9to5Google noted that Google Duo has 5 billion Android downloads, in comparison to Google Meet, which has over 100 million downloads. In this case; however, it seems clear that the merging of the two apps is simply a numbers game, as opposed to scrapping Duo altogether.
