Google Duo was unveiled to the world back in May at Google’s I/O conference, where its greatest lure was its simplicity. However, unlike Facetime, Duo would only be available on mobile and , thus, today the company launched it on both Android and iOS.
Duo lets you make one-on-one video calls with anyone else who has the app; all you need to hit them up is their phone number. Currently, the app is fairly basic, with its only notable feature being “Knock Knock”, which lets you see a live video of the person calling you before you pick up (which will then broadcast you to them). You can see the Knock Knock feature extensively in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIeMysX76pM
However, Duo does feature some other attributes that will be sure to attract consumers. For instance, the app automatically adjusts the resolution of the video depending on the state of your internet connection. Duo can also seamlessly switch between WiFi and cellular usage. Furthermore, all video calls are fully encrypted. Speed and simplicity are the bread and butter of Duo according to Google.
Unfortunately, Duo is late to the game; there is a multitude of similar apps on the market such as Skype and Facebook Messenger. As a result, the only markets Duo can realistically penetrate are those where bandwidth is a premium, due to its bandwidth optimization features. Another problem with Duo is that it actually stands apart from the rest of Google’s existing social infrastructure. For instance, it doesn’t connect to Hangouts (which also offers video calling in addition to text messaging).
The app will be rolling out over the coming days to both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Whether users in the UAE can utilise Google Duo will depend if Google licences the app with the TRA.
