These are the weapons of Google Duo to compete against WhatsApp in video calls
Without a doubt, WhatsApp continues to be the queen application in the field of communications. And more in quarantine, taking into account that here we find family and friends, and we have messages, stickers and also video calls available in the same application. However, alternatives are growing and taking advantage of these days to improve their functions and features. Something that can divert the attention of users so that we look at these other applications that are not only not incompatible with WhatsApp, but also improve some of its services.A good example of this is Google Duo, which has stepped up and launched new features to challenge WhatsApp.
One of the novelties, although it has already arrived a few days ago, is the increase in participants in Google Duo video calls. We have recently learned that WhatsApp has increased this figure to 8 people in total. At least for now. Google Duo already allows video calls from up to 12 fellow members at the same time In addition, it has promised to further increase this limit in the coming weeks, without knowing yet what the number will be definitive of people Something that also faces another of the star platforms of this confinement by COVID-19, which is the charismatic Zoom, of which we have already given you clues in other articles. The format to see so many people on the mobile screen is grid plus carousel. Something a bit strange, but that allows us to see the faces of almost all the people who are active in video chat with a certain size and quality.
Well, in its latest update Google Duo has also added a feature that seems to be causing a sensation on social networks like Instagram. It consists of takingtaking a photo of the conversation That is, an image that shows the two people who are having a video call, and that is shared in the conversation between the two so that both have it at hand. And then, if you want, share on Instagram Stories, as usual. The negative point is that, at least for the moment, these video call captures are only taken in calls to one, and not in groups. Simply click on the shutter button that appears on the screen to take this capture.
They also wanted to improve the sound and video quality of video calls.Even if they are carried out on connections with a fairly limited bandwidth. To do this, Google Duo takes advantage of Artificial Intelligence to clean the sound of noise and distortions. In addition, in the coming weeks a video codec capable of processing and reducing video size without losing image quality will be added to prevent video calls from being cut or pausedEven if your Internet connection is not very good. WhatsApp, however, seems to continue to maintain its scheme and some of its problems that lead to pausing the video call, although maintaining the audio whenever the connection allows it.
What Google Duo will start to do just like WhatsApp is to keep conversations intact in the application, instead of deleting everything 24 hours after being published. And it is that, although the fashion continues to be ephemeral messaging, some of the messages and content that can be created in Duo are worth keeping.That is why video messages with augmented reality masks, or audio messages and other content will be able to stay in the conversation However, this function does not arrive in the last update, and Google still urges us to wait a little longer for this feature that will make Google Duo look a little more like a common messaging application like WhatsApp. According to Google we will be able to save messages “soon”.
