Google is reportedly planning to eventually replace Duo with Meet, in a new direction under the leadership of G Suite head Javier Soltero.
Soltero, who told employees that it does not make sense for the two apps to coexist, has decided to retain Meet as Google’s only video calling service, 9to5Google reported. Sources said that this came as a surprise to the team behind Duo, which was announced at I/O 2016 alongside the since shuttered chat app Allo.
The plan for Duo and Meet is being described internally as a merger codenamed Duet, which combines the names of the two apps. Duo will be gone by the end of the merge, but before that happens, several of its key features will be added to Meet, according to sources. These features include end-to-end encryption, contacting people for video calls through phone numbers, and 3D effects.
The end of Duo will not happen any time soon though, as sources told 9to5Google that it may take up to two years.
Digital Trends has reached out to Google for confirmation of the plan to replace Duo with Meet, and for a more specific timeline. We will update this article as soon as we hear back.
Google Meet challenges Zoom
In May, Google completed the rollout of the free version of Meet, which was previously only available to its G Suite enterprise customers. Meet, which looked to capitalize on the surging popularity of videoconferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, launched as a legitimate challenger to Zoom.
Meet, which allows for up to 100 individuals to chat at a time, has been integrated into the Gmail interface.
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