• Cryptocurrency
  • Earnings
  • Enterprise
  • About TechBooky
  • Submit Article
  • Advertise Here
  • Contact Us
TechBooky
  • African
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Gadgets
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
  • African
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Gadgets
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
TechBooky
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Home General App

Google’s Free Video Calling App “Duo” Goes Live To Take On Apple’s Facetime

Paul Balo by Paul Balo
August 16, 2016
in App, Internet, Mobile, Service news
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

It was back in May this year that Google first introduced the world to Duo; a video chat app and those who said at the time that this may eventually make Hangouts less attractive to users were right. The app was primarily built to take on Apple’s free video chat app Facetime. Yesterday though, Google officially unveiled the app in a blog post where it described the app as a simple 1-to-1 video calling app for everyone which actually means Android and iOS users.

One cool feature we might say is a video preview of what they caller might be up to which gives you a hint as to why they want to talk to you in the first place. duoCalled “knock Knock”, this is Truecaller on steroids if you like for video calls. This feature is not available to iOS (iPhone) users currently.

Another great feature according to the Google post is that “call quality adjusts to changing network conditions to keep you connected — when bandwidth is limited, Duo will gracefully reduce the resolution to keep the call going smoothly. For video calls on the go, Duo will switch between Wi-Fi and cellular data automatically without dropping your call. You can start your call at home, and continue seamlessly even when you head out the door.”

How it works

When you install the app, it grabs your number from SIM information and sends you a confirmation SMS. Before you start thinking of WhatsApp, it doesn’t create a special account for you more special contact lists.

duo

You make video calls to people in your contact from your phone number. So sometimes on WhatsApp, someone you don’t know may send you a message but WhatsApp notifies you that this person is not in your contact which leaves you with the option of block or add to contact. As for Duo, the person needs to be in your contact list for you to be able to call them or for them to be able to call you. The sad part is that you can’t use it as it is for video conference calls.

It’s simple to use as you just have to tap on the contact you wish to call and that’s you using Duo.

What does this mean for Hangouts?

While this may spell doom for Hangouts, Google is not ready to let Hangouts go like that. Google’s vice president of communications division, Nick Fox told Verge in an interview that “Hangouts will continue to exist with a more tightly focused mission: serving enterprise users…. “it will increasingly be more integrated with Google Apps suite.” It will still be available for consumers, of course, but those users won’t be the focus of future product development.”

Hangouts will now focus more in enterprise solutions.

Google also announced Allo in May. Allo is basically modelled on WhatsApp’s phone number chat model only it has Google Assistant (Artificial Intelligence) built into it and in Google’s own words, “it’s based on your phone number, so you can get in touch with anyone in your phonebook. 

While we don’t know yet when Allo will be released, Duo went live yesterday on Android and iOS and it will be live worldwide in the next few days.

Related Posts:

  • 01_l
    Google Is Integrating Features Of Google Meet Into…
  • ray-ban-meta
    Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Gets Video Calling,…
  • startinghuddleingooglechat
    Google Chat Revamps 'Huddles' to Compete with Slack Meetings
  • WhatsApp-Video-Messaging_Header
    Meta Introduces In-Chat Short Video On WhatsApp —…
  • WorkspaceDrops_Thumbnail.max-1300×1300
    Google Workspace March Update Brings New Features to…
  • first-google-pixel-6-ad-7
    New Tensor Chips to Boost Pixel 10, 11 Camera Power
  • Enhancing video navigation and accessibility with Google Drive video transcripts
    Google Drive Adds Video Caption Viewing and Search
  • google_io_2024_55
    Google Unveils New Generative AI Tool - Veo, For Filmmakers

Discover more from TechBooky

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Tags: appduogooglesocial media
Paul Balo

Paul Balo

Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

Select Category

    Receive top tech news directly in your inbox

    subscription from
    Loading

    Freshly Squeezed

    • AI Helps Google One Reach 150 Million Subscribers May 16, 2025
    • FT Lists Paymenow, TymeBank & Omnisient Among Africa’s Fastest-Growing Firms May 16, 2025
    • MoonPay and Mastercard Partner to Advance Stablecoin Payments May 16, 2025
    • Google Gemini Advanced Users Can Now Link to GitHub May 16, 2025
    • TikTok Accused of Violating EU Internet Content Rules May 15, 2025
    • Activists and Users Criticize NCC & Telcos Over Customer Penalties May 15, 2025

    Browse Archives

    May 2025
    MTWTFSS
     1234
    567891011
    12131415161718
    19202122232425
    262728293031 
    « Apr    

    Quick Links

    • About TechBooky
    • Advertise Here
    • Contact us
    • Submit Article
    • Privacy Policy

    Recent News

    AI Helps Google One Reach 150 Million Subscribers

    AI Helps Google One Reach 150 Million Subscribers

    May 16, 2025
    FT Lists Paymenow, TymeBank & Omnisient Among Africa’s Fastest-Growing Firms

    FT Lists Paymenow, TymeBank & Omnisient Among Africa’s Fastest-Growing Firms

    May 16, 2025
    MoonPay and Mastercard Partner to Advance Stablecoin Payments

    MoonPay and Mastercard Partner to Advance Stablecoin Payments

    May 16, 2025
    Google Gemini Advanced Users Can Now Link to GitHub

    Google Gemini Advanced Users Can Now Link to GitHub

    May 16, 2025
    TikTok Accused of Violating EU Internet Content Rules

    TikTok Accused of Violating EU Internet Content Rules

    May 15, 2025
    Activists and Users Criticize NCC & Telcos Over Customer Penalties

    Activists and Users Criticize NCC & Telcos Over Customer Penalties

    May 15, 2025
    • Login

    © 2021 Design By Tech Booky Elite

    Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors
    • African
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Gadgets
    • Metaverse
    • Tips
    • About TechBooky
    • Advertise Here
    • Submit Article
    • Contact us

    © 2021 Design By Tech Booky Elite

    Discover more from TechBooky

    Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

    Continue reading

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok