Google is moving forward with the merger of Duo and Meet, albeit not quite as elegantly as some would like. TechCrunch reports Google renames Duo for Android and iOS as a Meet app, complete with the video calling-focused logo. The company had already migrated many features from Meet. However, the old Meet app isn’t going away for now — instead, it’s being renamed “Google Meet (Original)”.
All Duo users should see the rebrand by September. You must use your Google account for all meeting features, but familiar elements (like effects and contacts) remain intact. The original Meet app will still work but will not receive ad hoc calls and will eventually disappear.
As a spokesman explained in June, the merger aims to adapt to the “evolving needs” of video calls, including meetings, by providing a unified experience. In a way, it’s also another admission that Google’s communications app mix has become too complex. The tech company plans to shut down Hangouts this fall to focus on chat, for example, and Allo was discontinued in early 2019. While the existence of the old Meet might still prove confusing, it should soon become clearer which Google apps you should be using for work meetings or to keep in touch with friends.
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