Google has been trying to bring new features into both Duo and Allo — trying to hold some power in Instant Messaging world. The next trump-card Google has is nothing other than Group Calls. The company has made it clear that it’s testing group calls on Duo, its video-calling apps. It is not clear whether the firm is bringing the same feature to iOS, but the case of Android is sure.
One thing to be noted is that Google is not planning anything fancy here. Of course, it wants to let users join more than one person in a single call. A call can have seven participants at maximum, which seems to be an efficient number. According to the system, the process to make group calls is also simple. Users can create a group that consists of the required members and initiate the video call.
On the other hand, Google is trying to implement some additional features in the pack. For instance, Duo is likely to have a Low-light Mode, which is suitable for late-night chats. This is going to help a lot of people in the scene, thanks to the effective algorithms in use. The best part is that the low-light mode can be enabled during the group call as well.
There is, however, a limitation in the system. Because you have to create the group before initiating the Duo call, you cannot add extra people into an ongoing call. The company has not revealed when the feature will be made public. As of now, the group-call feature is now being controlled by Google and is being rolled out to a small number of people.
The end-game here is that Duo should become a competitor to other IMs in the industry, including WhatsApp — which started offering group video calls long before.
