Tag: google duo

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Mobile Syrup

Duo got Meet, Duo becomes Meet, Duo Meet will replace OG Meet

Google has started the process of merging Duo and Meet. It started with putting Meet into Duo and will ultimately end with Duo becoming Meet and Meet staying Meet until Google kills it in favour of Duo Meet (which sounds like a Subway order).

Confused? Well, it wouldn’t be a Google communication platform if it weren’t needlessly complicated. Google first announced this process back in June, but The Verge reports it’s starting today, although really, it started a month ago when Google pushed an update to its Duo video chat app that will add features from Google Meet to Duo.

Duo, which Google had positioned as a competitor to Apple’s FaceTime, is now getting another update to the Android and iOS Duo apps that will change the Duo icon to the Meet icon as part of the rebranding effort. Soon, the Google Duo app will just be Google Meet.

Next up, Google plans to transform the existing Google Meet app into the new Meet/Duo hybrid. This should take place in September. Alongside the change, Google says the ‘duo.google.com’ website will start redirecting to ‘meet.google.com/calling’ over the next few months.

What this all means for users is if you’ve got Duo installed, you can just keep using it — all the changes will arrive automatically over time. Meet users, on the other hand, will need to switch apps unless they’re fine using the current Meet experience, sans Duo features. Google might eventually kill Meet in favour of Duo Meet (which, again, is being rebranded to Meet), and the company says it will tell users when they should make the switch. However, Google hasn’t specified if or when this will happen.

So, to clarify: Duo got Meet, Duo is becoming Meet, Duo Meet will replace OG Meet.

Although this whole Duo Meet business should eventually simplify Google’s video chat app solutions, for the time being, it’s an extra layer of complexity for users to navigate. For that matter, I never found Duo and Meet to be that complex — Duo was clearly the video chat app for personal use, while Meet was intended for business uses like virtual meetings (hence the name). Unifying both platforms under the Meet brand may leave people with the impression the video chat tool is for business, even if it still supports Duo’s features.

Source: Google Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Google is combining Google Meet and Duo into one video calling platform

Google is merging two of its video calling apps into one.

In a blog post, the company announced it will shift all features from Google Meet to Duo “for a single integrated video solution.”

Duo is designed to make personal video calls and features family mode and effects like doodles and masks. Google Meet, which was made available to everyone in 2020, features live captions, auto-light adjustments and noise cancellation.

The company will rename Duo to Google Meet later this year.

Engadget reports the current Meet app will be renamed Meet Original. According to The Verge, Google will deprecate the latter.

Yes, all of this doesn’t sound very clear, but it’s the way to go, according to Google.

“The Duo mobile app had a lot of sophistication, especially under the hood,” Dave Citron, director of product for Google’s video products, told The Verge. “Especially in emerging markets, where network connectivity was sparse or highly variable.”

Google will start shifting several Meet’s features to the Duo mobile app this month, including custom virtual backgrounds, the ability to schedule meetings, and the in-meeting chat function.

Source: Google, Engadget, and The Verge 

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google Duo gets SharePlay-like ‘live sharing’ feature on Samsung, Pixel phones

As usual, Wednesday’s Samsung Unpacked event was chock-full of hardware announcements. However, there were several interesting software announcements alongside the S22 series reveal, including a Google announcement about Duo live sharing.

Live sharing is a new feature coming to Google’s video chat app Duo. It’s similar to Apple’s SharePlay for FaceTime and allows Duo users to via notes, photos, videos, and more simultaneously when in a video call. Like FaceTime, Duo live sharing will only work with a limited number of apps, including YouTube, Google Maps, Samsung Notes and Gallery, and Jamboard, Google’s interactive whiteboard app.

Another catch: Duo live sharing will only be fully supported for Galaxy smartphones and tablets, and Pixel smartphones. Engadget explains that only people with supported Samsung or Pixel devices will be able to host live sharing Duo calls, while people with other Android devices will be able to join live sharing calls but not host them.

GIF credit: Google

It’s a bummer that the feature is restricted like this, especially considering Duo’s wide availability. Although FaceTime can be used on Android, it’s extremely limited; Duo, however, has a full app experience on both iOS and Android. If Google fully supported live sharing on multiple devices and platforms, it could potentially go toe-to-toe with FaceTime and SharePlay. Plus, Duo live sharing supports YouTube and SharePlay does not — another advantage Duo could leverage if it didn’t restrict live sharing.

Beyond the Duo feature, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 line will also get access to some other new Android features, like YouTube link previews in Messages and the ability to watch full YouTube videos in Messages without leaving the app. Unlike live sharing, however, the YouTube x Messages features will eventually roll out to all Android devices (except Android Go).

Source: Google Via: Engadget

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google working on fix for Duo audio bug disrupting calls for Android 12 users

Android 12 brought several major changes to Google mobile OS, and several bugs too. Aside from the various problems plaguing Google’s new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro smartphones, other devices running Android 12 have experienced issues. For example, there’s an audio bug messing up Google Duo for several Android 12 users.

Both 9to5Google and XDA Developers have reported on the problem, which has picked up steam with posts on the Duo help forums. A Google community manager has confirmed that the company is aware of the issue and is working on a fix:

“We have discovered that users on Android 12 devices sometimes don’t hear audio when answering a Duo call from an incoming call notification. We are working on a fix, but in the meantime, a workaround is to try the call once more but have your Duo app open so you can answer the call from within the app instead of via the notification alert.”

The problem, if you haven’t experienced it yourself yet, happens when you answer an incoming Google Duo call. The bug prevents the caller from being able to hear the recipient’s voice, but that person can hear the caller. The bug goes away when the recipient ends the call and re-opens Google Duo.

Frustratingly, common fixes like clearing the app’s cache or re-installing it from the Play Store don’t help.

According to the post from the Google community manager, the bug may have something to do with answering Duo calls from the notification rather than from within the app. The current recommended workaround is for people to open the Duo app and answer the call in the app rather than using the notification.

9to5 also points out that not everyone running Android 12 has experienced the Duo bug. I can’t say that I have, but to be fair, it’s been a while since I last used Google Duo for anything.

Regardless, there are clearly issues with Duo on Android 12. If you’ve been plagued by the audio bug above, at least there’s a fix on the way soon (and hopefully the workaround can help out for the time being).

Source: Google, (2) Via: 9to5Google, XDA Developers

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google working on fix for Duo audio bug disrupting calls for Android 12 users

Android 12 brought several major changes to Google mobile OS, and several bugs too. Aside from the various problems plaguing Google’s new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro smartphones, other devices running Android 12 have experienced issues. For example, there’s an audio bug messing up Google Duo for several Android 12 users.

Both 9to5Google and XDA Developers have reported on the problem, which has picked up steam with posts on the Duo help forums. A Google community manager has confirmed that the company is aware of the issue and is working on a fix:

“We have discovered that users on Android 12 devices sometimes don’t hear audio when answering a Duo call from an incoming call notification. We are working on a fix, but in the meantime, a workaround is to try the call once more but have your Duo app open so you can answer the call from within the app instead of via the notification alert.”

The problem, if you haven’t experienced it yourself yet, happens when you answer an incoming Google Duo call. The bug prevents the caller from being able to hear the recipient’s voice, but that person can hear the caller. The bug goes away when the recipient ends the call and re-opens Google Duo.

Frustratingly, common fixes like clearing the app’s cache or re-installing it from the Play Store don’t help.

According to the post from the Google community manager, the bug may have something to do with answering Duo calls from the notification rather than from within the app. The current recommended workaround is for people to open the Duo app and answer the call in the app rather than using the notification.

9to5 also points out that not everyone running Android 12 has experienced the Duo bug. I can’t say that I have, but to be fair, it’s been a while since I last used Google Duo for anything.

Regardless, there are clearly issues with Duo on Android 12. If you’ve been plagued by the audio bug above, at least there’s a fix on the way soon (and hopefully the workaround can help out for the time being).

Source: Google, (2) Via: 9to5Google, XDA Developers