That means when bandwidth is limited, Duo will reduce the video resolution to keep the call going smoothly. To keep you connected, Duo adjusts call quality based on changing network conditions. A lot of time was spent on ensuring the call will degrade gracefully when packets drop, for example. Speed and reliabilityįox explained that the team worked hard to understand different network topologies.

In short, if you can’t see yourself, the person you’re calling also can’t see you.įox noted that Duo started out as an app offering a “great quality experience on Android” that “takes the complexity out of video calling.” But in order to achieve the latter, the team decided it needed to build an iOS app as well. A neat thing I noticed is that if you navigate away from a call, the video will stop. It takes one tap to get into a call, one tap to answer, and, in general, everything is focused on getting you into a call as quickly as possible. “The UI is the person you’re talking to,” Fox declared. That’s why it is phone-number based, there is no need for a new account, and the user interface is very straightforward. The team’s goal was to make the calling experience as absolutely simple as possible. Fox took some time to detail the three areas that his team focused on when designing Duo. Both apps are coming out of the Communications product team formed almost two years ago under vice president of product management, Nick Fox.įox explained that Duo is launching ahead of Allo because development for the former actually started first.

And no, Duo doesn’t use your Google account in any way, according to Google.ĭuo, along with messaging app Allo, was unveiled at Google’s I/O 2016 developer conference and made available in private beta (the number of testers is “in the thousands”), with a promise for a summer launch. You don’t need to create a separate account, nor do you need a Google account. To get started with Duo, all you need is a phone number.

Duo video call