Google has a sad history with its communication platforms, be they social networks (hello, Google+), text conversations (hello, Google Chat) or cross-platform instant messaging services (hello, Google Hangouts). And the problem comes when they decide to unify similar tools and they are not quite able to find the formula either.
Google Duo (video chat) is being integrated into Google Meet (video conferencing), merging the two platforms with features built into the new Google Meet
This is what seems to be happening with the merger of Google Duo (video chat app) and Google Meet (focused on video conferencing) by integrating the functions of the former into the latter. This would progressively force Google Meet to become the only communication platform that combines the features of both and, although initially they would continue to coexist briefly, Google Duo would eventually disappear.
So it seemed to be planned but confusion has prevailed throughout the process. Google decided in early August to rename Duo as Meet, adding the features of Google Meet… which in the meantime continued to exist. The only way to differentiate the two applications, with identical logo shapes, is that “the new Meet” took on the familiar multi-colored pattern of Google apps while “the old Meet” used only green.
Just in case anyone was confused, the name of the original app is now “Meet (Original)”. And to contribute to further muddle things in Google have decided that the new update of the Meet app (the new one) has recovered both the icon and the name of Duo as a shortcut that appears in the application launcher. Everything clear so far? Well, here comes the best part clicking on the Duo icon opens Google Meet. And there were those who thought that Apple had a naming problem by naming a device, a streaming platform and an audiovisual content management app as “AppleTV”.
Google explains that this decision allows access to Meet to those who are looking for the Duo appunaware that the company’s plans are to make Meet the platform to achieve what was previously achieved with Duo. It may probably help some, but others may be shipwrecked in a sea of confusion, as well as going against Google’s intentions of empower Meet as the single platform and application for video calling and video chatting.
