Google made a lot of changes to the Duo video calling app amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the latest update to the Google Duo app introduces minor tweaks to the AR effects.
The filters and effects have started appearing inside the Google Duo app for iOS and Android from October last year. Over time, Google has added several new effects dubbed “Duo Effects” like the Pride AR filter during the Pride Month. These effects will show up at the bottom of the screen during a video call.
AR effects in Google Duo now available even in group video calls
Up until now, the AR effects offered inside the app only worked during the ongoing one-to-one calls. With the latest update, these effects are also available even in the group video calls. More importantly, the AR effects can now be applied even before making the video calls.
This new change first spotted in the v94 update released last month. Now, the Duo users can try and finalize over the best-suited effect before the other user joins the video call. If the Knock Knock is enabled by the recipient, he can obviously see the applied effect even before accepting the video call.
The number of filters and effects will increase over time
Furthermore, these same effects can be used while recording a short video clip. It works similarly to the video messages on Facebook and Snapchat. In December last year, Google also introduced the auto-framing feature to center and align the face to the screen.
Only the Pixel smartphones with an ultra-wide selfie camera are getting this feature. Even the Duo effects inside the Google Duo were first made available for the Pixel users. Google also added the portrait filter to keep the user in focus by blurring the background.
Talking of the other new changes, Google recently increased the group video call limit from 12 to 32 users. This change comes just a month after raising the limit from 8 to 12 concurrent users to join at a time on a video call. After the COVID-19 outbreak, over 10 million new people are using Google Duo every week.
Moreover, the users can doodle on Duo video calls for others to see. According to Google, all the video calls made through its video calling app will be end-to-end encrypted. Apart from Duo, Google also built an enterprise-grade video conferencing solution called Google Meet for teams and businesses.