‘FaceTime’ on all smartphones released last week

Yes, wherever you may be located on planet earth, and whichever smartphone device you use, a FaceTime-type app called Duo was released by Google for your device last week. Many iPhone owners will tell you that the ability to FaceTime is a significant factor in their decision to choose the device over one of the […]

Yes, wherever you may be located on planet earth, and whichever smartphone device you use, a FaceTime-type app called Duo was released by Google for your device last week.
Many iPhone owners will tell you that the ability to FaceTime is a significant factor in their decision to choose the device over one of the Android-based smartphones.  Let’s face it, the FaceTime video-calling app – which enables you to see a live picture of the person you’re calling – is pretty cool and it surely draws people to iPhone. Well, starting from last week, Apple now has to craft another feature to differentiate its phones. And what is cooler, Duo will work on a range of devices, not just Android. (You’ll remember that FaceTime works only on Apple devices.) With Google Duo, you can video chat with your friends on Samsung phones, as well as on the various no-brand phones from China, virtually all of which are powered by the Android engine. Duo also works on iPhone, Macs, or Windows Phones – that is, on virtually all smartphones.
This new development is a big deal, really. Although there have been many video-calling apps for Android before now, Duo is the legit one for the operating system (OS), because it was developed by Google, the same company that owns Android. This spells compatibility and the absence of malware from no-frills, freelance developers. Moreover, if Google has its way – which I am sure it will attempt to – Duo will be bundled with any Android phone that ships, as opposed to being a standalone – albeit, free – app. Doing this will make Duo the de facto standard for video calling on Android phones, which will be a potential attractor of antitrust law suits against Google.
Another reason why Duo is important is that more than 80% of smartphone users are on Android, which, before now, didn’t have its own FaceTime. With this number, Duo is synonymous with the democratization of video-calling. It’s not only Android users that will be delighted, but also some iPhone users, who will now have a means of video-calling their friends and relatives who happen to be using other smartphone engines.
Downloading Duo is trivially easy and fast: Search for “Google Duo” in Google Play Store, Apple Store, or the applicable app store for your smartphone; download in less than one minute, and start using. The icon for Duo is the generic, uneventful, video camera logo – in blue color.  Starting a call is very fast on Duo. In fact, the app is quite plain. Tap on the logo for Duo, and you’ll immediately see a video of your face looking back at you! You can make an instant call to a person you’ve talked to before, or you can use another button to open your phone book to select a phone number to video-call.
Google obviously wants to attract more business and become the dominant purveyor of cool apps. That is, Duo could be FaceTime’s worst nightmare. After all, Google could potentially use Metcalfe’s Law – that networks become disproportionately more valuable, the more people connect to them – to its advantage. Thus, if Duo works as well as or better than FaceTime, Google might exploit the herd mentality, as more people switch to Android or even Duo on iPhone.
While Duo is clearly more user-friendly and faster than Microsoft’s Skype or Facebook’s Messenger; so far FaceTime and Duo seem to be at par. Some have reported clearer images in Duo compared to FaceTime, but then, having been released just a few days ago, the traffic to Duo is relatively light – and the jury is not yet out on this metric. Duo does have this “Knock Knock” feature – which you can turn off – whereby you see the caller but she doesn’t see you until you pick up the call. This is perhaps a metaphor for “knocking on the door and waiting till you are allowed in.” You may wait to answer the call while you, for instance, scope out a caller’s facial expression or attitude – spying basically. Google’s objective in Knock Knock is to “break down some of the sense of intrusiveness that makes people less willing to engage in a full face-to-face chat.” This is what Richard Waters says about Knock Knock in his 18 August 2016 article in Financial Times: “The feature, called Knock Knock, can certainly be an icebreaker. But when it’s not fun, it’s slightly unnerving – both for the person making the call, who doesn’t know if they’re being watched, and the person receiving it, who has a momentary sensation of spying.”
From iPhone to IPhone, you are probably okay for now with FaceTime, but across platforms, Duo is the only option. As the name suggests, Duo connects two people, no more, no less. If you need to connect more people, free, Google Hangouts or Skype are options.