Google Debuts New Video Calling App

If the first app you thought of was FaceTime, you've perfectly demonstrated a big problem on the Android side. Although there's no shortage of video calling apps on Google's mobile platform — Skype, Snapchat, Viber, and even Google's own Hangouts are all capable services — there isn't a single go-to app that everyone just uses like there is on iPhone.


That's why Google is releasing Duo, a new dead-simple app for video calls. Announced at Google I/O, the company's developer conference, back in May, the app is having its official coming-out party on Tuesday. Google gave Mashable a preview of the app, and, as FaceTime clones go, it's one of the best we've ever seen.

Although Duo is available on both iOS and Android, Google's goal is clearly to give Android users a FaceTime-like experience. According to Google's vice president of communications services, Google had three priorities when it crafted what it sees as the perfect app for one-to-one videoconferencing: simplicity, speed and "human" features.

The simplicity is apparent as soon as you launch the app. Similar to Snapchat, you're greeted with a view from your phone's camera, although on Duo it's your selfie cam. Below your beautiful face, there's a row of yellow circles that show your most recent calls. In the bottom left is the big, blue call button; tapping it brings up a list of your phone's contacts.