Google Duo could get some of Meet’s best video chat features

Updates for Google Duo have been few and far between ever as a result of the search giant shifted its focus to Google Meet. Nevertheless, for the first time in an prolonged whereas, Duo might lastly get some love in a future substitute after it acquired a simplified house display screen interface in July of ultimate 12 months.

Google has rolled out a model new mannequin of the Duo app on Android telephones, and a teardown carried out by XDA Builders reveals some acquainted discoveries. The updated mannequin includes some strings of code suggesting that the video chat app will select up breakout rooms.

Should you’ve received normally used Google Meet to hold digital conferences with colleagues or associates, you might be possibly already accustomed to breakout rooms. It permits video chat moderators to divide members into smaller groups all through a conference. If Google ever releases this attribute, will in all probability be useful for large video chats with as a lot as 32 people.

Breakout rooms arrived on Meet in late 2020, along with completely different choices comparable to personalized backgrounds and attendance monitoring. It’s a welcome addition to Duo, assuming it makes its method to the app, after Google reportedly scrapped plans to merge Duo and Meet proper right into a single app.

It’s not the one Meet attribute that Duo might select up ultimately. The teardown moreover hints on the capability to remain stream and doc a video meeting. It significantly includes references to messages similar to “Stay stream will begin quickly” and “This assembly is being streamed and recorded.”

These capabilities are normally not on the market to anyone in the mean time as they’re nonetheless in enchancment. However it is not going to hurt if Google rolls them out ultimately.