Weve looked at four of the biggest players out there Microsofts Skype, as well as Apples Facetime and Google Hangouts, and the Google Duo servicenbspAug 16, 2016 Google just released its new video calling app, Duo Heres how it stacks up against the iPhones FaceTime, Skype and Facebook FaceTime vs separate from Googles other communication services including Hangouts,nbsp Skype vs Facetime vs. With Allo, Duo, Hangouts and Messenger, Google is certainly in a position to snatch the messaging space from four corners, and could do it too. But it's more likely that Allo and Duo are Google's.
Google's new app, Duo, is a simple video-calling service that's available for Android and iOS today. Alongside the upcoming messaging app Allo, it's one of two communication apps Google announced earlier this year at its I/O conference, and one of four altogether from the company.
In a way, it's Google's answer to Apple's FaceTime, and it makes one-to-one calling between Android phones, and from Android to iPhone, very simple. Though both parties have to download the app to begin chatting (unlike FaceTime, which is baked into the dialer of compatible iPhones), it's still an intuitive app to use.
And while Android users will likely enjoy using Duo to video-call all their friends, iPhone owners won't find it compelling enough to ring up fellow iPhone users. However, it may certainly become their go-to app when calling up a buddy who uses Android. With that said, here are its main highlights:
You'll see previews with Knock Knock
Duo's unique feature is Knock Knock, which gives you a preview of who is calling by firing up the camera on the other end of the line. If you're initiating the call, you'll see a little notice that says your video is visible, which means the other person can see what you're doing right at that moment in real time. Android users can see Knock Knock regardless of whether Duo is opened or not (like on the lock screen). On the iPhone though, you'll only see it if you're in the app. Otherwise, you'll just get a little notification saying someone's calling you.
Google's rationale for this is that Knock Knock already gets you smiling before the call starts. Of course, that's assuming you actually like/want to speak to the other person who is on the other line. Seeing family members on the other line? That gets me smiling. Seeing the face of my boss? Mmm, not so much (see below). Editor's Note from said boss: 'Hmph.'
You can disable Knock Knock
Before you worry about seeing anything you don't want to see from the other line, know that you can only receive Knock Knocks from people who are already in your contact list. You can also block individual people from calling you. (By the way, when you block a person on Duo, the person won't know it. When they call, they'll just hear your line ring and ring continuously.)
If Knock Knock really isn't your thing, you can disable it altogether in Duo's Settings menu. You can't disable Knock Knock on a person-to-person basis though, so it's Knock Knock or nothing.
Its interface is super simple
Duo has an incredibly user-friendly and intuitive interface. Before you begin a call, you'll see icons to start a video call and your recent contacts (sorry, there's no audio-only option). During a call, you'll see yourself (in a small little circle), and icons to mute audio, switch cameras and hang up. Video from the other line fills up your screen and that's pretty much it. If you'd rather have your camera fill up the screen (for example, you're touring a house to the person on the other line), just tap the preview circle and your view will switch. Read more about getting started with Duo.
It's different than Hangouts (no, really)
At this point you might be wondering what makes Duo different than Google's other video-calling service, Hangouts, and you're not alone if you think the company has one too many communication tools. But according to Google, Duo is supposed to be way more specialized. Whereas Hangouts can be used on desktops, supports messaging and group chats, and has multiway video for collaboration (and its interface reflects these extra features), Duo does one thing and one thing only: video calls on your phone or tablet.
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Unlike Hangouts, it reaches people through their phone numbers, not their Gmail. Other than downloading the app, you won't have to force anyone to log into their Google accounts or sign up for a new service. And the best difference between it and Hangouts? It uses end-to-end encryption, so your data can't be viewed from third parties or even Google itself.
It works only as well as your connection
Not surprisingly, if you have a good Wi-Fi or data connection, the app works smoothly. When I used it and had strong coverage, people looked clear and their voices were easy to understand. I experienced some lag from time to time, but it usually lasted just a few seconds.
When one of my colleagues was on a weaker Wi-Fi network, however, he was extremely pixelated. Though audio came in clear, his face just ended up looking like a study in 1880s pointillism. After he switched to a stronger Wi-Fi network, however, his image cleared up and our conversation was stable.
You might actually want to use it
There are loads of apps these days that either center around video chatting or have it as one of their features. Duo is coming into a crowded industry, competing not only against Skype, Facebook Messenger and others, but even Google itself with Hangouts.
All three of these competing apps do much more than simply one-to-one video calls. For example, they support messaging and you can start video calls with multiple people. Plus, with Messenger, you don't need a Facebook account (a phone number will suffice).
But Google didn't create Duo to be an all-in-one communication platform; to do so would make it hairier to use. Google also believes that when a person decides to video-call a friend, one rarely wants to pivot to messaging or group chatting anyway.
Because Duo offers just the bare bones, it can provide a solid, no-muss-no-fuss video calling service. This singular functionality frees you from having to sign in another account, make sure your buddy has the same service or take time to navigate through a busy interface. Plus, its end-to-end encryption means your conversations are protected from prying eyes. (As I mentioned before, Hangouts doesn't have that and Skype isn't secure either. Messenger has begun testing end-to-end user privacy, but hasn't rolled it out en masse.)
True, iPhone users will probably keep using FaceTime to communicate with one another, but Duo bridges the gap between iOS and Android. With its quirky Knock Knock feature, simplistic approach and data encryption, Duo makes it a whole lot easier to say hi and wave hello.
One killer messenger app. That's all you need. Not the four that Google seems to think you do. At Google I/O, the Internet giant's annual conference for developers, Google unwrapped two new, very distinct messenger apps that will work on iOS and Android phones 'this summer.' There's Allo, for messages and emojis, and Duo for videoconferencing. This is already on top of Google Messenger and Hangouts, each of which handles both texts and video calls.
What gives, Google? Do we really need all these messaging apps?
Google says we do. Allo and Duo are both apps that Google built from scratch, not based on any existing code for Hangouts or Messenger. And both new communication apps draw deeply on machine learning as part of the artificial intelligence future that CEO Sundar Pichai champions as the way forward.
Now playing:Watch this: Say hello to Allo, Google's answer to Facebook Messenger
Allo's goal is to learn your rhythms and responses and offer suggestions in the form of quick replies. So if someone asks, 'How're you doing?' the app might suggest you type in 'Awesome!' alongside an emoji of dog doodoo. You choose the suggestion you want, or respond with something else, and behind the scenes Allo records and remembers your answer, maybe for next time.
Duo's flashiest video-calling trick is Knock-Knock, which essentially rings your buddy with a preview of what you look like and what you're doing this very minute. That means there can be no delays between broadcasting your goings-on and the moment the person on the other end receives the knock and picks up the call (or not).
More on Google I/O 2016
Allo and Duo work as they do, Google says, because the programs stand on their own; they're light and finely tuned, not burdened by too many features that do other things.
'We didn't want to weigh down the [engineering] team with decisions from previous products,' Erik Kay, Google's engineering director for communication software, told CNET. Because coders were given the freedom to create from the ground up, Google said, they were able to concentrate on fresh, innovative ways to make next-gen talking tools.
Focused engineering may be Google's reason for keeping the two separate, but there are other considerations as well. These apps work on phones and tether to your phone number, whereas Hangouts is purposely cross-platform, so it works on desktops as nimbly as it does on mobile.
Google also says that different consumers use apps for different purposes, so you might turn to Hangouts for a certain group of friends and Facebook Messenger for another. Meanwhile, you might Skype your in-laws on the weekend but call up Duo's Knock-Knock video to chat with your sweetheart.
Maybe this is the behavior that winds up happening, but is it what we really want? I don't. I already use Hangouts and Facebook Messenger, texting, WeChat, What'sApp, Skype Messenger, Slack (for work) and sometimes even Twitter. (There's also Kik, Peach, Snapchat, and good ol' Yahoo Messenger too, of course.)
For my life, the plethora of messaging apps is simply too many. All these messengers are exhausting to juggle, and I'm constantly missing messages that slip through the cracks; notifications are easy to miss if I put aside my phone for awhile. Can this helter-skelter multiple-messenger monitoring really be what Google wants? Or is a simpler scenario, where one chat app reigns, the preferable path? (WhatsApp, for instance, tends to rule the roost in Europe, while WeChat dominates in Asia.)
With Allo, Duo, Hangouts and Messenger, Google is certainly in a position to snatch the messaging space from four corners, and could do it too. But it's more likely that Allo and Duo are Google's real investment for the future, with Hangouts and Messenger hedging those bets. Google is probably throwing Allo and Duo at the wall to see what sticks; then it'll strategize next steps from there.
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