Google launches chat app to rival Skype, FaceTime
Google nailed e-mail with the 2004 introduction of Gmail. Now it's the No. 1 form of electronic correspondence in the US. But as traditional e-mail falls out of favour with a growing sliver of the population, Google has struggled to make its messaging tools relevant or introduce new ones that resonate with younger users.
Now, Google is trying again with a new video chat application called Duo. The app works with mobile devices running Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS. It runs on Wi-Fi and cellular networks, automatically switching between different types and speeds of connection and adjusting video quality.
Duo also uses phone numbers, rather than a Google account or Gmail address, making it easier to call friends, family and other people already stored on smartphone contact lists. The company's existing video calling and messaging app, Hangouts, requires a Google account, which limited adoption, especially in emerging markets. Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger, Skype - now owned by Microsoft - and Apple's FaceTime used phone numbers to grow faster.
A confusing array of communication options has held Google back. It has two e-mail services - Gmail, which is the top e-mail service in the US based on unique visitors, according to ComScore, and Inbox; three text offerings, Hangouts, Messenger and the upcoming Allo; and now two video chat services, Duo and Hangouts (which offers texting and video calls).
This scattershot approach, and Google's late start, is becoming more costly for the Alphabet division as messaging evolves from a simple way to communicate quickly into one of the next big technology platforms supporting digital commerce, advertising and new services powered by artificial-intelligence.
"Google missed it because of the requirement that you needed a Google ID to communicate with others," said Ankit Jain, a former Google employee and executive at SimilarWeb, which measures website and mobile app usage.
Nick Fox, a 13-year Google veteran, was tasked by Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai 18 months ago with fixing the sprawl. Soon after, his new team formulated a strategy and started building Duo and Allo.
"Google sees communication as this essential human need, whether that's through text, a picture, calling someone or doing a video call." Fox said in a recent interview.
This insight is a decade old and has guided Facebook's... Read full story
Now, Google is trying again with a new video chat application called Duo. The app works with mobile devices running Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS. It runs on Wi-Fi and cellular networks, automatically switching between different types and speeds of connection and adjusting video quality.
Duo also uses phone numbers, rather than a Google account or Gmail address, making it easier to call friends, family and other people already stored on smartphone contact lists. The company's existing video calling and messaging app, Hangouts, requires a Google account, which limited adoption, especially in emerging markets. Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger, Skype - now owned by Microsoft - and Apple's FaceTime used phone numbers to grow faster.
A confusing array of communication options has held Google back. It has two e-mail services - Gmail, which is the top e-mail service in the US based on unique visitors, according to ComScore, and Inbox; three text offerings, Hangouts, Messenger and the upcoming Allo; and now two video chat services, Duo and Hangouts (which offers texting and video calls).
This scattershot approach, and Google's late start, is becoming more costly for the Alphabet division as messaging evolves from a simple way to communicate quickly into one of the next big technology platforms supporting digital commerce, advertising and new services powered by artificial-intelligence.
"Google missed it because of the requirement that you needed a Google ID to communicate with others," said Ankit Jain, a former Google employee and executive at SimilarWeb, which measures website and mobile app usage.
Nick Fox, a 13-year Google veteran, was tasked by Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai 18 months ago with fixing the sprawl. Soon after, his new team formulated a strategy and started building Duo and Allo.
"Google sees communication as this essential human need, whether that's through text, a picture, calling someone or doing a video call." Fox said in a recent interview.
This insight is a decade old and has guided Facebook's... Read full story
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