Unlike with certain other Google product transitions, Google is stressing that nobody should lose any features from this merger. The name doesn't make a ton of sense anymore, and the more appropriate "Google Trīgintā Duo" just doesn't sound as catchy. Duo had to adapt to the pandemic, too, though, and it now supports 32-person video chats. Google Duo originally started as a dead-simple, one-on-one video chat service, which is where the name-Latin for "two"-comes from. Meet, being the hot, new brand at Google, is naturally surviving the merger. Since it's the Duo code base and package name that's sticking around, a Google support page notes that Meet users will be asked to switch apps to the new Meet once all the merger changes are done. Taking over Google Duo represents Google Meet getting access to those juicy 5 billion downloads, so it's a major upgrade for the Zoom competitor. Meet continues chasing Zoom to this day and has 100 million downloads on the Play Store. WhatsApp users can stay on WhatsApp for chat, but they can add this Duo app to their arsenal. Presumably, though, Google knew it could not compete with the WhatsApp juggernaut in chat, so a standalone video app was made, with a Whatsapp clone to go with it. Normally, a company would be expected to include video chat capabilities in its new messaging app-like Hangouts or Facebook Messenger or (eventually) WhatsApp. Launching two communication apps at the same time seemed strange, but the idea was that Google could pitch Duo as a companion to WhatsApp as well as Allo. It used SMS-based phone number identification instead of a Google account, and it was restricted to one device at a time, following the very non-Googley way that WhatsApp works.
Here's a quick recap of the long history of Google communication apps: Google Duo launched in 2016 as a standalone video chat app with a "companion" messaging app called "Google Allo." Google had just failed in its attempt to buy WhatsApp two years earlier (Facebook made the $22 billion acquisition instead), so it fired up its photocopiers for Google Allo, which was a straight-up WhatsApp clone.
Google has not clarified which products are being unified, but it should mean that Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Google Chat, Google Messages, Google Duo, and Google Voice will all live under one roof.
The move comes after Google unified its communication teams under Google Workspace VP and GM Javier Soltero (the author of Google's blog post) in 2020. Later this year, we’ll rename the Duo app to Google Meet, our single video communications service across Google that is available to everyone at no cost." Google says that "existing video calling features from Duo are here to stay" and that "in the coming weeks, we’re adding all the Google Meet features to the Duo app, so users can easily schedule a video meeting at a time that works for everyone, or continue using video calling to instantly connect with a person or group. While the Google Duo brand is dying, it sounds like the Duo code base will live on as the basis for the new Google Meet. Ars is owned by WIRED's parent company, Condé Nast.
This story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews, and more.
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