It turned out that Google's popular video calling platforms Duo and Meet will not combine consumer-oriented. According to the statements, Meet may become a single, more business-oriented video calling platform.
Last year, news emerged that the US technology giant Google would make Meet the only video calling platform. After that, it was stated that two platforms called Duo and Meet could be combined and a common consumer and business-oriented video calling platform would be created.
In the news published in August 2020, it was stated that Google will offer a video call service focused on both normal people and business. Recent news has revealed that Duo and Meet's consumer-oriented 'merger' plan will not materialize.
Consumer-focused merger plan abandoned
Initially, Google aimed to combine Duo and Meet into a platform called 'Duet' with both consumer and enterprise focus. For this, the team created in 2020 made a lot of effort to combine the two platforms. However, at the end of 2020, it was stated that these two goals could not be achieved, and Duo was likely to join Meet as a more corporate-oriented platform. In other words, the goals of creating a video calling platform that is both consumer and business-oriented were abandoned.
It was stated that this team is currently focusing on working on the business-oriented part of Meet. Google also stated in its statements about this situation that there was no change in Duo's consumer-oriented investments. In addition, in the statements made, it was emphasized that features such as HD screen sharing, new video effects, advanced contact search, foldable device support, new spam controls and protections, a renewed interface were added to Duo in 2021, that is, the consumer targets of the platform continue.
Duo's fate remains uncertain
To sum up, Google has announced that Duo's consumer-oriented features (like calling users by phone numbers) will not be added to Meet. In addition, the company stated in its statements that it will have a 'rich roadmap' for both regular and business users in the coming year; but did not reveal which platform or platforms this will be aimed at.
It remains unclear what will happen to Duo after Google's plans change. According to the reports, there is still the possibility that Duo will be developed or closed and Meet will be made a single platform. In other words, Google may decide that Meet is a 'sufficient' video calling platform for users and may abandon the very popular Duo.
This also shows that Android may lack an application that can rival FaceTime in the coming years. In other words, the replacement of Duo by Meet will deprive users of an application that allows users to call their contacts with a single button, even if some features can be integrated.
