Duo and Meet are still separate products but are becoming more similar. App source codes reveal further planned innovations. What do you do when you have several comparable apps on offer? They are also designed to be as similar as possible. Google has this plan for its video chat apps Duo and Meet.
Although Duo is intended more for smartphones and private purposes, the popular FaceTime alternative will soon be able to benefit from another feature from Google Meet – allegedly.
That, of course, adds fuel to the fires that continue to know and believe that Google Duo will eventually just transition into Google Meet. The duo should get the companion mode, as can already be read in the app’s source code. The feature was designed for hybrid work. This allows you to use other devices as a “second screen”.
Companion mode lets you join a Google Meet video conference with a second screen. In this mode, the microphone and video are disabled to avoid feedback.
Not a new feature, just a hint to the future?
It is not yet clear in detail how the feature will work in Google Duo. Further research by other colleagues has shown that Google Duo should only be able to provide information about users with an active companion mode. That means: Duo can not use this feature.
It’s more likely that this is just another indication that Meet and Duo are growing together behind the scenes to eventually be just one product.