The way of communication is a secondary choice, and it is dependent on the situation: Sometimes calling fits better, sometimes texting does. I think it’s conceptually wrong to have two apps instead of one.Īfter all, I am using a communication app, such as Messenger or Whatsapp, to communicate with my friends. And by the way, what happens if I do sign up but my friend does not? Can’t I call him then? Strange. And guess what, I was asked to register again. Clicking the respective button opens up the other Google app: Google Duo. However, I was puzzled when I wanted to call my only friend in Allo. Using Allo today for the first time, I registered by entering my phone number to receive the activation code. My second doubt regarding Google’s apps is the one, why texting and messaging is split into two apps. Going through a few comments which followed on this tweet, I realized I am by far not the only one being irritated about Google’s plan with Hangouts.īy the way, the tweet of the Google PM, explaining which aim those products have and how they are supposed to work reminded me about this great scene in Silcion Valley in which none of the test users is understanding the product whereupon the CEO needs to explain it to them.
#Google duo vs hangouts android
Hence I am not sure this business focus is really clear to many users.Īs a side thought, why is Hangouts preinstalled on all Android phones, if it’s not supposed to tackle private consumers? At that time it solved group calls way better than competing apps. I remember when there were actually a lot of my friends using hangouts, especially in the time after it was launched. For me, it was quite surprising to see that Hangouts is considered as a business product.
#Google duo vs hangouts free
And some of these features edge out the free offerings from other services. None of these limitations will be deal breakers for most free users, particularly when compared to Google Hangouts. This is probably plenty for most free users, but it's far less than the 250 participants offered to the highest tier of Google Workspace users. Meetings set up by free users don't include a phone number, so people without internet access can't dial in. It's also going to introduce friction to starting calls with people who don't have a Google account, though-especially if they're not tech-savvy.
![google duo vs hangouts google duo vs hangouts](https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*ULvbEAUcO9jjD_xACrmEiQ.png)
Google is marketing this as a security feature, and it would eliminate anything resembling Zoombombing from happening on Meet. Meetings set up by free users can only be attended by people with a Google account. Note that this won't be enforced until September 30, 2020, which should be helpful in this age of social distancing.
![google duo vs hangouts google duo vs hangouts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dyg6qw6BowQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
#Google duo vs hangouts for free
Meetings are limited to 60 minutes for free users. Here's a quick breakdown of the limitations. The free version of Google Meet isn't quite the same experience that paying Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) customers get. How is the free version of Google Meet limited? Zapier can automatically schedule Google Meet appointments when trigger events happen in other apps, meaning you can use it to to do things like scheduling Google Meet calls using Google forms.