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Google brings back Duo icon after Meet transition confuses everyone
The transition is still on, but this will help confused users in the meantime
The merger between Google Duo and Google Meet, while perhaps a necessary step, has been very confusing so far for everyone involved. Once the merger is finished, the old Meet app will be phased out, and what used to be the Duo app will become Meet. Google Meet branding finally came to the Duo app a few weeks ago. Apparently, though, the change is proving especially hard to handle for some Duo fans, because Google has brought back Duo's old icon — at least for now.
The Google Meet name is landing on the app formerly known as Google Duo
Google Meet (original), meet Google Meet (formerly Google Duo)
How many messaging apps does Google want out there this hour? Guess we can't be ashamed of all the trite jokes we nerds have made when the company seems to think putting its customers through the semi-permanent ordeal of transitioning between chat apps is an acceptable user experience. Hopefully it doesn't screw up the merging of consumer-facing video messenger Duo with Google Workspace conferencing app Meet. It's a multi-step process that's just getting underway and it looks Google has put its next foot forward.
Google Meet could be working to bring team chat to your favorite Android games
Playing Uno over Meet will at least ensure the game doesn't devolve into a fist fight
We're sure you heard the news by now, but in case you missed it, Google's Duo video calling app will be merged into Google Meet. While the ins and outs of how that exact transition is being handled at the moment are kind of confusing, you can expect Duo to become Meet in the not-so-distant future. In the meantime, though, Google keeps working on new Meet features that will be handy as it transitions from a business/education-first service to a video calling app for everyone. One of them is the addition of integrations with third-party apps and services.
Here's everything to know about Google integrating Duo with Meet
The transition should be complete by September
As some of the best tech companies evolve, the features they offer through products and services tend to overlap. Google is all too familiar with this and the requisite countermeasures. After building out its consumer and business products as separate projects, some duplication was not to be avoided. But the company is backtracking on this big divide. In a long-anticipated change, Google Duo is on the way to become Google Meet, merging all useful features from both platforms into one. Here is what you need to know, and what timeline you can expect.
Google Duo's Meet-ification is starting for everyone
All users are now getting the heads-up about the app's upcoming shift
There's a big transition in the works right now, as Google takes its latest stab at “simplifying” its communication apps by merging Duo and Meet. The company went official with its plan back at the start of June, and about a month later we started seeing an early sign of this change, as an update to Duo started introducing some new functionality and expressly acknowledged the pending Meet re-branding. At the time, only a few people were seeing any of this, but with August now upon us, it appears that Duo users everywhere are being brought in on the change.
Google Duo's latest update marks the beginning of the end
Prepare to say goodbye to your favorite video chat app
Long have we joked about Google's duplicated apps and services — especially when it comes to apps like Hangouts and Messages. On the heels of (mostly) cleaning up that situation, the company has turned its attention toward an adjacent problem: video chat services. Google plans to fold Duo into Meet later this year, and with the app's latest update, we're seeing our first evidence of the groundwork being laid.
Google Meet is working on some serious stereo smarts to help you spot who's talking right now
Stereo separation would help each call participant stand out
A few weeks ago, Google announced the bold but not unexpected merger of Google Duo and Meet would come up in the next few months. Duo will be transitioned into Meet, which will become the company's only option for all your video calling needs. As the merger nears, Google also wants to provide Meet with upgrades as it prepares to accommodate former Duo users. One of those improvements might come in the form of a new stereo separation feature to help you keep your eyes, and ears, on your call.
The long-rumored Google Meet and Duo merger is actually happening
Later this year, the Duo app will become the new Google Meet app
Google, king of seemingly a thousand different messaging and communications efforts, has announced a rare move today: It's not adding yet another new service or chat-adjacent feature but whittling the list down by one. Google Meet and Duo have had overlapping video call functionality for years, and the company has decided it's time to bring the two together under the Meet name, fulfilling the long-rumored merger between the two services. Curiously, the actual path of this merger will favor the Duo app.
Google Duo could be about to pick up a few Meet features
Breakout rooms and live streams with recording are on the list.
Google's communication apps always feel like they're in flux: merging, splitting off, and trading features back-and-forth. A few years back rumors raised the idea of Google merging Duo with Meet but that never ended up happening. However, Google did shift a lot of its focus towards the Meet app, giving it loads of new features and updates over time. Duo, on the other hand, hasn't received nearly as much attention. In spite of that, the app just recently managed to achieve the milestone of surpassing 5 billion installs on the Play Store. Now we're finally learning about some new functionality that looks like it's coming to Duo, as Google's spotted working on bringing over some Meet features.
Google Duo reaches 5 billion installs on the Play Store, presumably calls a friend about it
Just in time for Meet to eat its lunch
Video calls have taken on a new life over the past two years. Even as real-world meetups have become more common, being able to chat "face-to-face" with friends, family, and co-workers anywhere in the world at any moment is pretty useful. Google Duo is one of the best ways to place a video call on any device, and its popularity continues to pay off.
Google Duo has an annoying audio-breaking bug on Android 12, but a fix is underway
Days without a bug: 0
Out of the Allo/Duo pair of apps announced during I/O 2016, the only app that stood the test of time (somewhat) is Google Duo. It still enjoys a sizable userbase, frequent updates from Google, and even comes pre-loaded on many phones, essentially serving as Android's FaceTime. But as seems to be the case with many Google things these days, it exhibits the occasional bug. If you're affected by an annoying audio issue after updating your phone to Android 12, don't despair — the company knows, and it's currently working on a fix.
Google's rumored plan to merge Duo and Meet into a single app has crashed and burned
Meet's now the primary focus for video calls
If there's anything Google loves more than messaging services, it's competing messaging services. We've seen it happen repeatedly with apps like Hangouts, Messages, and Allo, but the company's video chat services are nearly as convoluted. Last summer, it sounded like the plan was to eventually combine Meet and Duo into one application, capable of handling both consumers and businesses alike. As we head into 2022, that's no longer the case.
Google Duo is the latest app to get a fresh Material You look (APK Download)
The update is now rolling out on the Play Store
Android 12 is around the corner and Google is rushing to update all of its apps with the new Material You guidelines. In recent days, we got a taste of it in Calendar, Keep, and Drive. Now, Google Duo has also found its calling.
Google Duo turns five, and it might even turn six before Google kills it
It's the only video calling app I use
Google Duo turns five years old today, and in that time, it's become one of the best video calling apps around despite fierce competition. So to celebrate its anniversary, let's take a look at what makes Duo so special.
Google is working on a simpler homescreen for Duo
A combined button will let you start an new call, call home, or create a new group
Read update
Have you found that the homescreen interface is confusing when you've used Duo? Actually, maybe I should back that up: have you used Duo? Google would really appreciate it if you at least tried it out. To that effect, it's listening to some users about ways to make the homescreen easier to use.
Google Meet has played a crucial role in the lives of millions in recent times, and Google is still fleshing it out. The latest development sees the addition of video filters to the Android and the iOS app. And if they seem familiar to you, it's because Google's other video calling service, Duo, already has them.
Oh god: Your parents can video call your next Samsung TV
It has Google Duo built in, just add a webcam
Video conferences are here to stay, at least for the near future. Taking a call from your phone or laptop can feel cramped, but using your television to lead a conference allows you to move around the room freely, just as you would in a boardroom. Samsung makes some of the best TVs you can buy right now, and with Google Duo support, you can finally call anyone from the comfort of your living room.
Google is getting smart enough to decline Zoom calls if you aren't home
The update is ready on iOS, but it's slowly rolling out on Android
If you live in a home wired up with Google Assistant, and you also use Google Duo, you might be tired of getting alerts for calls on your Google Home smart speakers. If you have other people in your home, they're definitely tired of hearing those alerts when you aren't even there. Google's working on a fix for this: using presence detection, it can optionally only start ringing your smart speakers and displays when your phone is physically present.
Galaxy S21 users can apply custom backgrounds and snazz up video calls on Duo, Zoom, Teams, and Webex
Don't expect smooth results, though
Samsung always bakes new software features for its latest flagships, and this year's Galaxy S21 series is treated no differently. The smartphones were launched with One UI 3.1 that brought a bunch of new functionality, such as Google Discover on the homescreen and Director's View. There's another addition that's especially useful in a time where video calls have become the primary form of communication for a lot of us: custom video call effects.
Google's Pixel Drops have introduced a bunch of interesting features for Pixel smartphones, including car crash detection and automatic call screening. Another such feature is auto-framing on Google Duo, which had been (at least according to Google) exclusive to the Pixel 4. Now that's getting a little company, as Google confirms the recently-unveiled Samsung Galaxy S21 series can also pull off the same trick.