Google Duo, the video chatting and calling app which is just a month old, has already hit a 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store. It also has 10 million users.
The Lead for Communication of Google Products had announced in a tweet that having 10 million users of Google Duo on Android was a milestone and thanked all the users for their love. Within four days of the global release of the new video calling app on Google Play, Google Duo made it to the top of the charts as the top free app. The Duo app is available globally in all the countries provided Google Play is also available. The new video calling app from Google was launched last month in competition to Facetime from Apple, Skype from Microsoft, Viber, and other similarly comparable services.
According to Android Police, though Google Duo had hit a 10 million downloads, still it dropped significantly on the charts on the Google Play. The app is now ranked 124 on the list of the top free apps in the US. However, in India, it is ranked 24 on the charts for top free apps. It was given a 4.4-star rating.
Google Duo to Make Video Calls to Phone Contacts
The Duo app from Google for making video chatting calls allows the users to make calls to other people who have been listed in the user’s phone contacts. However, this is possible only if the Duo app has been installed on the user’s smartphone. The most highlighting feature of this app is that it can work even on networks where the signals are very low.
Another very notable feature of this Duo app is “Knock Knock”, which basically shows a preview video of the person who is calling, which allows the user to decide whether or not to answer the call. Google had confirmed previously that the Duo video calling app utilizes the end-to-end encryption facility, just like WhatsApp and Viber. The videos will be in HD quality, although the app will adjust its video quality according to the network that is available.
Advertisements to Promote Duo
Google is not leaving any stone unturned to make the people know, understand, and use its new video chatting app, Duo. Google is doing so much to it that the company has made not just one or two, but five different video advertisements to promote this service. These five ads are of 30-seconds duration each, and there are also five 15-seconds shortened versions of these ads. These ads are professional and polished sketches of perfection.
The five ads for Duo are called “Peanut Butter & Jelly”, “Socks”, “Salt & Pepper”, “Coffee & Cream” and “Toothbrush & Toothpaste”, each of which explains the benefits of the app like its standout live preview feature. The ads do become a little perplexing in the first time, but it is the same with the existence of Duo too.
Google Duo and Allo
To recall, Google Duo was announced first alongside Allo, an instant messaging app for Android and iOS, at the I/O developer’s conference in May. Allo is a text messaging app that is power-driven by Google Assistant. Even Allo is end-to-end encrypted like Duo, although in this app it is optional.
Google is refusing to merge any of these services into its Hangouts, which is its existing platform offering multiple services like video, calls, and chat services on the mobile app, inside Gmail, and also on Google+. So, Google definitely needs advertisements to explain what Duo is all about or else the users may confuse it for some other Google product.