Messaging and video conferencing apps are some of the key tools that help us stay connected to friends, family, and colleagues. Google's Duo and Meet services make that possible, and soon you'll be able to experience the best of both worlds on one platform.Google is consolidating its Duo and Meet platforms into one app to make it easier to stay connected to the people in your life from one place. This article will shed light on what is happening to Google Meet and Google Duo and how this affects you.

Google Combines Duo and Meet Into One Platform

Google is combining Google Duo and Google Meet into one app. The news was announced by Google Workspace Vice President and General Manager, Javier Soltero, in a Google Cloud blog post in June 2022. Soltero explained:

As part of our continued investment in helping people stay connected, and to adapt to evolving user needs, we’re upgrading the Duo experience to include all Google Meet features. This integrated experience will provide users with a single solution for both video calling and meetings with people across their lives.

Google Duo is Google's solution for a social messaging and video calling app like FaceTime, while Google Meet is used to connect professionals via group conference calls like Zoom.

Going forward, the Google Duo app will be the home of the consolidated platform. It's a stretch, but Google hopes it will be your preferred solution for your professional and social engagement needs.

The pandemic has increased the demand for solutions that provide seamless online experiences as more people connect remotely. As a result, it has become increasingly important for businesses and tech companies to provide efficient, interconnected platforms to meet those needs.

How the Consolidation of Google Duo and Google Meet Will Affect Users

Google Duo will retain its features, like the ability to video call and text your loved ones using their phone numbers or email addresses. As a Google Duo user, you won't lose your conversation history or contacts as a result of the merge.

However, the app will be somewhat different, as Google Meet's features will be added to it. If you're a stranger to Google Meet, expect to find Zoom-like features, like the ability to schedule meetings in advance.

You'll be able to customize your background and engage in live chats during a conference call. You can participate in calls with up to 100 members, and you'll have access to more of the tools you're familiar with from Google, like Gmail, Google Calendar, and more.

The integration will be implemented in the coming weeks and the new, consolidated Duo app will be renamed Google Meet later in 2022. The current Google Meet platform will be renamed Meet Original and will probably be phased out with time.

Google's Failed Messaging Apps

It seems like Google is trying to create a more amplified version of WhatsApp and FaceTime, but we wonder how this will pan out, given Google's poor track record with messaging apps.

Google launched Google Duo and its messaging counterpart, Google Allo in 2016 as the social versions of the business' commercial solutions—Google Chat and Google Meet. But Google Allo was canned in March 2019 after it failed to take off.

Providing a streamlined messaging service continues to be a challenge for Google, but hopefully, it will apply the learnings from its failed products over the years to make the consolidated Google Meet app a success.

Can Google Meet Compete With Other Chat Apps?

While Google is wise to streamline its messaging apps, it's ambitious to pack so many functionalities into one platform—especially when it's failed to deliver on a solution of this kind in the past.

Although we understand Google's vision for the new-and-improved Google Meet, we're not convinced it could be a strong contender against the likes of WhatsApp and FaceTime, at least not yet.