Google Duo, Google’s attempt to have a dedicated app for people to video call their friends and family was released last year and we gave it an initial review when it dropped. It was a simple app that allowed you to make video calls and that is great since most apps that offer video calls (WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype) usually offer other services and it was akin to the iOS app Facetime.
Now Google Duo is going a step further in providing a feature that is offered in other competing platforms: Voice calls. According to a tweet made by Justin Uberti, Google’s technical lead for Duo, the company has rolled out voice calling on the app to all users worldwide.
On Google Duo (the Android version in my case) there are two ways of making voice calls on the app. When you first launch it, you will be greeted with the standard interface where it toggles the front camera and has a big button for you to make a call. The first method to toggle between voice and video call is by making a swipe down gesture from the top which reveals the hidden toggle as shown by the left screenshot. The other method is by tapping on “New call” and the video/audio call toggle is displayed prominently at the top.
Google Duo now joins Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype and recently Telegram in offering voice calls over data for the masses. We are in the age where voice over data is the new cool and now they should focus to make them sound better.
