Google Duo makes a return on Android but not in a way you expected!

Google announced on June 2 that it was combining 2 of its video-calling apps to create a single platform in the form of Google Meet. It would be replaced by a single Google Meet Original app which would combine the functionality of both previous apps into one. Google started rolling out this change at the beginning of August for the public where the Google Duo icon was replaced by the Google Meet icon. However, it seems Google is treading back on its steps and bringing back the Duo app.

According to 9to5Google, the company is tracing back its steps and bringing back the Google Duo icon. This does not mean that the Google Duo app will make a return. Google is taking this step due to the Duo app being more popular and widely used than the Meet app.

In terms of functionality, Google Duo is more of a one-to-one video-calling app, similar to Apple’s FaceTime, whereas Google Meet is a virtual conferencing app competing against Zoom, Microsoft Teams and others. The Google Duo app has a 5 billion user base compared to 500 million users of Google Meet.

Therefore, this step makes sense for Google to replace the Meet icon with the more familiar Duo icon. However, Google has not rolled back the Meet icon either. As of now, both the Google Duo and Google Meet icons are available in the app drawer, opening the same new combined app.

Google Meet has become ever popular during the pandemic which drastically changed work culture around the world. But as the world resumes normality, Google’s biggest challenge lies ahead- how to combine meetings with virtual as well as physically present participants as efficiently and effortlessly as possible.