You also have to provide the app access to your Contacts list, as it cannot function otherwise. You don't need a Google account to use Duo, but you do have to enter your phone number and authorize the app by inputting the code Google sends via text message. It takes some tapping, but it also makes the process much safer. These are permissions to access your phone's microphone, camera, and contacts and to allow the sending and receiving SMS messages, which are used to invite others to Duo. If you're using the latest version of Android, you have to authorize each of the app's four required permissions one at a time. Google says Duo will work with Android 4.1 and later, though it is designed for Android 6.0-just in time for Android 7.0 Nougat to launch. I had no trouble installing the app on my Nexus 5X ($89.99 at Amazon) (Opens in a new window). It's a free download for both Android and iPhone users. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window).ĭuo is designed for dead simple person-to-person video calling. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Neither Allo, Google's smart text messaging app nor the Amazon Echo competitor, Google Home, have been released yet.
Still, this free, cross-platform service (there's also an iOS app, which I'll be reviewing soon) is worth a try.ĭuo is the first of the products announced at Google I/O 2016 to see the light of day. For now, you're better off sticking with the ubiquitous Facebook Messenger ($0.00 at Google Play) (Opens in a new window) or, ironically, Google's own Hangouts app. It doesn't bring much that's new, however, and unfortunately it leaves out some things that I consider necessary. Google aims to change all that with Duo, a video calling Android app intended to be fast, simple, and secure. Yet we stubbornly stick to text and voice messages. It has been possible to make video calls from computers for decades, and from smartphones since there have been front-facing cameras.
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