Google is facing a major video conferencing issue
Development on Google Meet appears to have taken priority over Google Duo
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Googlewill no longer be merging its twovideo conferencing softwareproducts as the company has decided to prioritizeGoogle Meetfor enterprise users overGoogle Duofor consumers.
Asreportedby9To5Googlewhich first broke the news of amerger of the two productslast year, the software giant initially set out to have a single video calling service aimed at both personal and business users. Following this decision, Google created a “unified team” to work on both its consumer and enterprise-focused video conferencing services.
The undertaking was originally billed as a merger with the code name “Duet” which9To5Googlepoints out is a portmanteau of Duo and Meet (Du + et). Although the combined team worked for most of last year under the impression that Duo and Meet would merge, Google’s interest in building a dedicated video calling service for consumers waned.
Instead, the company shifted its focus to have Google Meet be primarily an enterprise product. This is because there was no longer a desire to build a video calling app that works equally well for consumers as it does for enterprise users.
Prioritizing Meet over Duo
Over the course of this year, Google’s combined Meet/Duo team spent a majority of its time working on Meet and its enterprise features while Duo saw minimal development.
When9To5Googlereached out to the software giant regarding its upcoming plans, a company spokesperson said that there was “no change in our plans to continue investing in our consumer users”. Google also highlighted the new features added to Duo this year which include expanded tablet and foldable device support, HD screen sharing, new video effects,Google TV support, improvements toquality and reliabilityand more.
The biggest change to Duo this year though was a refreshed UI that replaced the old homescreen, that showed a live feed from a smartphone’s front-facing camera, with a new simplified list of a user’s call history and a “New call” button. However, a similar redesign was rolled out to Meet in October of 2020 which helps make the case that Meet and not Duo was the company’s main priority.
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While Google says that it has a “rich roadmap next year for both consumers and business users”, the company didn’t expand on whether Meet or Duo will be the service receiving new features and upgrades next year.
We’ve also rounded up thebest video conferencing softwareand thebest online collaboration tools
Via9To5Google
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
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