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If you're not using your phone, you may simply get a notification that says a video call is incoming, but that depends on your notification preferences. When a friend video calls you, and you happen to be using your phone, you'll see an incoming video call screen, which includes a view of whatever his or her camera sees, the name or the number of your friend, and buttons to either answer or end the video call. So, whenever you video call a friend, you'll see a screen that warns you your video is visible, then you'll see the name or the number of the person you're video calling, and an end button, all of which is superimposed onto a view of whatever your camera sees (likely you). Your friend can't see you while ringing you with this feature however. The first time you call, Google will tell you 'Smile! Knock Knock is on', along with a notice that says your friend - if he or she has you as a contact - will see you appear on their phone while you're ringing. To start making a video call, type in the name of the contact you want to video call in the search bar > select their name from the list > tap on the 'Video call' icon in the centre at the bottom of your screen. Video callingĮvery time you open Duo, you'll see the camera view with the search bar, and contacts and groups below. There's also a search bar at the top and a menu for accessing settings. We'd happily recommend both services, you just need to decide which one is better aligned with your specific needs.Google Duo's main interface is a screen that is split into two, with the top half showing you what your camera sees, and the bottom offering up your groups or contacts.

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Video call quality is top-notch, there's support for basic group calls, and it's completely free to use. That said, if all you need is a video app that you can use for simple, reliable chats with friends and family, there's just no beating Google Duo. You'll more than likely end up paying for one of the premium plans to get all of the tools you need, but its overall usefulness and functionality do outperform what you get with Google Duo. If you need a service that offers a plethora of communication and management features for running a meeting with tons of people, Zoom is the easy choice. Google Duo comes down to how you plan on using either service.

businessĪt the end of the day, the battle of Zoom vs. You more than likely don't need to pay for Zoom if you're just using it to check in on your distant relatives or friends from time-to-time, but if you're using it to remotely work with your employees, it might make sense to pay for that extra functionality. Once you start paying money, you'll gain access to things like admin feature controls, cloud recording, longer meeting durations, and more.

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Zoom Pro and Zoom Business are the two most common paid plans you'll potentially want, costing $15/month and $20/month, respectively. Source: Zoom (Image credit: Source: Zoom) Similarly, if you're out and about and want to quickly check-in with your family back at home, you can issue a call to all of your Google Home devices right from the Duo app. If someone calls you via Google Duo, you'll get an alert on these devices and can answer it that way. Its mobile app is easier to use and more user-friendly, it offers some of the best video-quality around (even when on a poor internet connection), and you can use it to make voice calls or send pre-recorded video messages to your contacts.įor me, my favorite thing about Duo is its tight integration with Google Home speakers/smart displays. While Google Duo could certainly improve the way it handles group calls, everything else about the service is top-notch.

If you have a group of four friends but a fifth wants to join, you'd need to end that initial call, create an entirely new group with that fifth friend, and then start the call all over again. Even more annoying, you can only have a group call for people that you pre-select to be in that group.

You can also do group calls on Google Duo, but you're limited to a max of 12 people per call. Google Duo's group calls could be improved, but everything else is fantastic. You can start a call with just yourself or someone else, but using the Meeting ID code, you can share that with other people so they can pop into the call whenever they want. Even with the free version of Zoom, you can host up to 100 people and easily invite folks to join. Source: Harish Jonnalagadda/Android Central (Image credit: Source: Harish Jonnalagadda/Android Central)Ĭompared to Duo, one of the biggest benefits of Zoom is how it handles group calls.

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