Google will not merge its two video conferencing software products as the firm has decided to prioritize Google Meet for enterprise users over Google Duo for customers.
As per the report of 9To5 Google which initially broke the news of a merger of the two products last year, the software giant primarily set out to have a single video calling service meant at mutually personal and business users. Following this pronouncement, Google formed a “united team” to work on both its consumer and enterprise-focused video conferencing services.
The responsibility was initially allocated as a merger with the code name “Duet” which 9To5Google points out is a portmanteau of Duo and Meet. Though the joint team worked for most of last year underneath the impression that Duo and Meet would combine, Google’s concentration in preparing a dedicated video calling service for consumers declined.
In its place, the firm lifted its focus to have Google Meet be chiefly an enterprise product. This is for the reason that there was no longer a wish to build a video calling app that works correspondingly fine for users as it does for enterprise users.
Google Prioritizing Meet over Duo
Over the year, Google’s united Meet/Duo team used up a mainstream of its time working on Meet and its enterprise features while Duo saw negligible growth.
When 9To5Google reached out to the software giant concerning its future plans, a firm spokesperson said that there was “no alteration in our plans to endure capitalizing in our consumer users”. Google also emphasized the novel features added to Duo this year which comprise extended tablet and foldable device support, HD screen sharing, novel video effects, Google TV support, enhancements to excellence and consistency, and more.
The major modification to Duo this year however was a restored UI that substituted the old home screen, that showed a live feed from a smartphone’s front-facing camera, with a novel shortened list of a user’s call history and a “New call” button. Nevertheless, a comparable same redesign was featured to Meet in October of 2020 which assists make the case that Meet and not Duo was the firm’s key priority.
On the other hand, Google says that it has a “rich roadmap next year for both consumers and business users”, the firm didn’t increase on whether Meet or Duo will be the service getting novel features and upgrades next year.
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