Google Duo

Google's FaceTime, launched with a Knock Knock, folded into Meet after six years

Replaced
19902026

Google Duo was a one-to-one video calling app for Android and iOS, announced at Google I/O on 18 May 2016 and released on 16 August 2016 with the Knock Knock live preview of the caller. It added voice calls in 2017, a web version and group calls in 2019, and became a default app on Android phones. Google announced on 1 June 2022 that Duo would merge into Google Meet, and from 3 August 2022 the app was renamed and rebuilt as Meet.

Timeline [edit]

  1. 2016
  2. 18 May 2016 other
    Announced at Google I/O

    Alongside Allo, tied to a phone number.

  3. 16 August 2016 Launch
    Google Duo launches

    One-to-one video, Knock Knock preview.

  4. 2017
  5. 10 April 2017 Feature
    Voice calls worldwide
  6. 2019
  7. 12 March 2019 other
    Allo shuts down; Duo carries on

    Google's messaging half of the pair is gone.

  8. May 2019 Feature
    Group calls and web version

    Up to eight, later 32.

  9. 2022
  10. 1 June 2022 Shutdown announced
    Duo and Meet to become one app

    The Duo app to take the Meet name.

  11. 3 August 2022 Shutdown
    Duo renamed Google Meet

    duo.google.com redirects to Meet.

The site through time

Browse duo.google.com as it was, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine:

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Full archive →

Ownership [edit]

Google 2016–2022 Founded

Why it shut down [edit]

Official line: On 1 June 2022 Google said it would merge Duo and Meet into one app under the Meet name; from 3 August 2022 the Duo app on Android and iOS was updated into Google Meet, keeping Duo's calling features and contacts, and duo.google.com started redirecting to Meet. The original Meet app was renamed "Meet (original)" and retired the following year. Nothing was switched off on the day; the name and the app icon simply went away.

Our analysis: Duo did one thing well, fast one-to-one video calls that worked on bad connections, and Google announced it alongside Allo as its consumer answer to FaceTime and iMessage. Allo died in 2019; Duo survived because it was actually good, and then the pandemic made Meet the video product Google cared about. Two calling apps was one too many for a company that had already had Hangouts, Talk and Voice, and Meet was the one with the enterprise revenue behind it.

History [edit]

Knock Knock

Google announced Duo at I/O on 18 May 2016 as a pair with Allo, its new messaging app: Allo for text, Duo for video, both tied to a phone number rather than a Google account so they could reach anyone with the app. Duo shipped on 16 August 2016 for Android and iOS. Its pitch was simplicity and reliability: end-to-end encrypted one-to-one calls that adapted to poor networks, and Knock Knock, which showed a live video preview of the caller on the lock screen before you answered. It hit the top of the app stores in its first week.

Voice-only calls followed worldwide in April 2017, a web version and group calls of up to eight (later 32) in 2019, and Duo was preinstalled on Android phones and built into Google Home and Nest displays. When Allo was shut down in March 2019 Duo carried on, and during the pandemic it was, briefly, one of the more used video apps on Android.

Into Meet

Google Meet, the business video service, became free for everyone in April 2020 and reports that Meet would eventually replace Duo appeared that August. Google backed off in 2021, then on 1 June 2022 announced the merge: the Duo app would gain Meet's scheduled meetings and screen sharing and take the Meet name and icon. The update rolled out from 3 August 2022; existing Duo users found a green Meet icon where Duo had been, with their call history intact. duo.google.com redirects to Meet, and the old Meet app, renamed "Google Meet (original)", was retired in 2023.

The domain today

duo.google.com redirects to meet.google.com.

Similar projects

ICQ The messenger that gave you a number 1996–2024 Skype The app that made calling the world free 2003–2025 Google Hangouts One messenger to rule them all, briefly 2013–2022 Google Talk Gchat, the messenger inside your inbox 2005–2017 MSN Messenger The sound of nudges after school 1999–2014 Meebo Every messenger, in one browser tab 2005–2012

Sources [edit]

  1. Google Duo makes mobile video calls fast and simple The Verge 18 May 2016 [archived]
  2. Meet Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app for everyone Google (The Keyword) 16 August 2016 [archived]
  3. Google Duo's voice calls are now available worldwide The Verge 10 April 2017 [archived]
  4. Sources: Google plans to eventually replace Duo with Meet 9to5Google 14 August 2020 [archived]
  5. Google Duo's planned consumer merger with Meet fizzles out 9to5Google 16 December 2021 [archived]
  6. Google is combining Meet and Duo into a single app for voice and video calls The Verge 1 June 2022 [archived]
  7. Google's Duo and Meet combo apps roll out for Android and iOS The Verge 3 August 2022 [archived]

Last verified: 16 August 2026. Spotted an error? Suggest an edit (corrections with sources are reviewed and applied).