Never before have video calls been so important and necessary, especially after the confinement due to the pandemic in which we all had to learn to socialize and hold our meetings remotely, and as one of the most used online services, Google so far has two tools to make video calls: Duo and Meet, a couple of similar platforms, with the difference that one was designed to make video calls between individuals, especially from their mobile devices, and the other for work meetings and that it is integrated into Gmail.
Now, the American company announced that Duo and Meet will be combined to create a new “Google Meet”, a super app that will integrate the advantages of both systems since by merging both platforms, both Gmail addresses and phone numbers will be integrated.
Google Meet will combine the strengths of both platforms
According to Javier Soltero, director of “what has been really important is to understand how people choose which tool to use, for what purpose, and under what circumstances…and allow users to decide if they want to be contacted or not, instead of having to manage all these different identities and deal with the consequences.”
With the pandemic of recent years, Meet has become the favorite streaming video platform of many users around the world, where up to 250 people can participate in the same videoconference, that is, a platform similar to Zoom.
For its part, is an application that has focused more on messaging with the option to make video calls one user at a time, connecting via your phone number, without relying on an invite link, an app more similar to Face Time.
The intention of integrating Duo and Meet is combine the strengths of both platforms to develop a unique mobile and web application with the best of both worlds.
Duo will incorporate several features of the original Meet
The merger will take place gradually, and users will receive an update to Duo, adding several Meet features what they are like to use chat in meetings, generate real-time captions, share live content, increase the participant limit from 32 to 100. Later, Duo will be rebranded as Google Meet.
On the other hand, the current Meet will now be called “Meet Original”, but will eventually stop receiving updates and become obsolete. The strategy can be a bit confusing, but according to those responsible for Google, this is the best way to achieve a perfect transition. And it is that Dave Citron, Director of Video Products at Google has stated, “the mobile application of Duo is very sophisticated, especially internally… Especially in emerging markets, where network connectivity was poor or highly variable”.
The purpose of building a multipurpose cross-platform for audio and video calls it also brings with it many challenges, questions and considerations so that users can use it comfortably.
Some of the main questions surrounding this union focus on usability. One of them is if every time a call is received, each browser tab and device where you have logged in will ring with the message alert. Google has responded that this will not be the case, and that the most recently used device can be recognized to receive notifications and calls.
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