Google Duo: The rival to Apple's FaceTime
Internet giant's new video-calling app is said to be the simplest yet and comes with added human touches
Google has launched a new video-calling app to take on the likes of FaceTime, Skype and Facebook Messenger.
Duo was previewed by the internet giant at its I/O 2016 developer conference in May and a full roll-out of the software has now been revealed on the official Google blog.
While video-calling is hardly revolutionary – and Alphr says the concept is underwhelming in practice - Google has two unique selling points it says mark out Duo.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's simple
Duo is being billed as the easiest video-calling app to date, with The Guardian saying it's "super simple".
As with WhatsApp, there are no accounts. Duo uses your phonebook to list contacts, so there's no fiddling around with email addresses and passwords. Google has also worked to optimise performance when mobile data reception is poor and the service features end-to-end encryption.
The Verge says it's "fast, easy to use, and devoid of complicated bells and whistles". Given its designed for smartphones only, adds the site, it's a relentlessly easy way to have video chats over your mobile.
It's more personal
Duo has something the other apps don't - "Knock Knock", the video call equivalent of having a peephole.
Users will see live video of whoever is calling before they pick up and will able to see where the caller is, what they're doing and why they might want to chat. The feature "could make people more comfortable with spontaneous video calls", says the Daily Telegraph.
It will also make Duo faster as the video feed will be up and running by the time a call is answered.
It's part of a wider package
In addition to Duo, Google is to launch a text-based messenger called Allo, which was also revealed at this year's I/O conference.
The system, which also works using the contacts book, has machine learning and automatic replies as its killer feature. Google Assistant will, over time, begin to anticipate how a user replies to certain messages and serve up quick reply options. It can also recognise photographs and again provides fast, instant replies based on what it sees.
Allo won't be out until later this year, while Duo will be released across iOS and Android over the next few days.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why is the tech industry up in arms about Google's search algorithm leak?
Today's Big Question A leak of about 2,500 documents shed light on how Google's search engine operates, and not everyone is happy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How AI is going to change the Google search experience
Talking Points Summaries are the new links
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Google unveils 'AI overviews' atop search results
Speed Read Users of the search engine in the US will now get AI-generated answers first
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Perplexity AI: has Google finally met its match?
In The Spotlight Generative AI start-up provides fast, Wikipedia-like responses to search queries
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Artificial history
Opinion Google's AI tailored the past to fit modern mores, but only succeeded in erasing real historical crimes
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published