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Google today launched a new video calling app called Duo, as a sort of companion to the new Allo messaging app that was also introduced today at the Google I/O developer conference in Mountain View, California.
Duo calls are end-to-end encrypted, said Google engineering manager Erik Kay. But the feature that makes Duo stand out most from other mobile-friendly video calling services — including Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Facebook’s WhatsApp, not to mention Google’s own Hangouts — is something called Knock Knock.
It’s a “live video stream of the caller before you’ve even picked up,” Kay said. You “not only see who’s calling, but what they’re up to and why they’re calling. A smile, a beach, and a newborn baby can all draw you into the moment, making calls feel spontaneous and natural, and once you pick up Duo it puts you right into the call.”
Above: Google’s Duo video calling app.
Like Hangouts, Duo video calls run on top of WebRTC. Duo relies on a fairly new Google protocol called QUIC (for “quick UDP Internet connections”), and it can perform a “seamless handoff” of calls between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, Kay said.
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One thing Duo doesn’t have is support for calls between more than two phone lines.
The app will become available on Android and iOS this summer, Kay said.
