video calls are a service widely used for a few years by companies, in order to make conferences and meetings (and including job interviews) with people who are far from the headquarters and also by families who do not have the opportunity to see each other often because of the distance. This type of service has been exploited for a long time by companies such as Microsoft (Skype), Apple (FaceTime), Facebook (Messenger) and also for a few months by Snapchat.
Who has now joined this type of service is Google, which despite having had Google Hangouts for quite some time, the instant messaging application integrated into Gmail, which also offers video call service, has now decided to launch a new service for these needs. For this reason, Google has recently launched Duo, a video call service that aims to compete with services as widespread asSkype or FaceTime. But, what does Duo have that hasn't already had Hangouts?
To start this application does not integrate the messaging service like Hangouts but is simply and simply to make video calls. To use it, all you have to do is have the phone number of the person you want to call and make sure that they have the application installed on their smartphone.
The application has an option called “Knock, Knock” that allows us to see who is calling us before deciding if we want to answer the call. In addition to this it also includes an encryption system for communication. Something that can compete strongly against Apple's FaceTime is that it allows us to make a call from an Android to an iOS, or vice versa, since the application is not exclusive to Android.
Despite its simplicity and advantages, the application has an important Achilles heel, and that is that There is no possibility of making video calls through a tablet or a computer,as it is an exclusively mobile application.
The Google application has entered the application market on the right foot as it has been a success in downloads. In just one week of life, more than five million people have downloaded and installed it on their mobiles through Google Play, where the launch has been carried out in a staggered manner. At the moment, downloads in App Store are not taken into account, although it will be interesting to see how many people decide to try the Google app having FaceTime integrated by default on your iPhone.
On the other hand, given the appearance of Duo, it should be remembered that the most used instant messaging application in the world, WhatsApp, has announced that as of next 2017 they will enable their own video call service with which Duo will add a new and tough competitor since users tend to prefer to have all services integrated in a single application as has recently happened with Snapchat and Instagram Stories.
