Google Duo - The simple video calling app

             

Video calling is a great way to connect with people, and is considered the next best thing after being with someone in person. There are some great ways out there to accomplish this too. It can however, be a cause for concern at times as some of the methods are pretty complicated while at other times you might be worried whether the person whom you intend to call has the same type of device.

Meet Google Duo, a simple one-to-one video calling app which eliminates the complexities involved with video calling so that you can be together easily, wherever you may be.

Cross Platform

Connect with all your friends through this cross platfrom video calling app which works well both on Android and iPhones.

Fast and Reliable

The app works just as well as your internet connection does. The calling experience is seamlessly smooth with a sensibly smooth internet connection. Unlike most other applications where calls either experience lags or disconnect altogether, Google Duo alters the video quality dynamically to keep the call smooth. Also, it does attempt to switch between wireless connection and mobile data to keep the call working smoothly instead of getting disconnected whenever necessary so that you can start a call at home and continue even as you head outdoors.

Knock Knock, who's there?

Duo allows you to connect to the person at the other end even before picking up the call so that you don't miss even a moment. If you are the one making the call, the camera of your phone will actively capture your video. The calling screen too shows a notification on top which says "Your video is visible. If you are the one receiving the call, you can see the live video of the caller so you may be able to sense why the person has called and what he wants to talk to you about.

Simple, easy to use interface

Pretty much every option is a button click away, and they are right there on the screen. All you need is your phone number to start off, and you can contact others through your phone contact list. When you start the app, you can see yourself live along with a button to start a new video call and a few recent contacts. In call, you see a screen-size video of the caller and yourself in a tiny circle near the bottom left corner. A tap on the screen shows you options to switch camera - a great feature if you want to show the person on the other end something in front of you - and a button to turn off microphone. If for some reason you want to see yourself enlarged, you just need to tap the small circle showing 'you'.

Minor issues

All that being said, there are a few things which may be improved upon. Although Knock Knock is automatically enabled on android phones, it doesn't quite work for iPhones. They only see it if they are using the app at the time of getting the all, else all they see is a notification suggesting that someone is calling them through Google Duo. Also, Knock Knock cannot be disabled on a contact-to-contact basis; it is either all Knock Knock or no Knock Knock. To add, you cannot turn off the video at any time which means that the app allows video calling only.

Why would you want to use it?

There is no lack of video calling apps; many are centered around it while others have it as an additional feature. Yet Google Duo has established itself and set a mark in an otherwise crowded industry while competing with Skype, Messenger, Hangouts, WhatsApp and many others. It has a rating of 4.4 on Google Play Store with 10 to 50 million downloads.

In general, apps which provide video calling as a functionality offer much more like simultaneous messaging and making multiple video calls. Duo however doesn't do any of that to avoid becoming cumbersome. Why would you want to communicate through text messages in a video chat anyway? Thanks to Duo, you don't have to spend time navigating through a large interface to make that video call, worry about the receiver having the same service or bother to have a new account and thus get a no-fuss video calling experience. What's more, it comes with end-to-end encryption with (WhatsApp and Messenger following suit) so that no prying eyes can peer into your conversations.

With data encryption, Knock Knock and dynamic adjustment of video quality and network for smooth calling, Duo has made it easier to wave hello.

Download from App Store (iPhone)
Download from Google Play Store (Android)

See what Google Duo can do