Google delved into communications application market with Hangouts to take over rival services. However, it crammed this one app with everything, from text, to voice and video calls. It then realized this mistake and therefore introduced two separate apps for messaging and video calls back in June at its I/O conference. These apps are called Allo and Duo.
Hangouts may not have been one of the most popular communications apps available in the market, but it does have a considerable user base. It comes in handy for users who frequently use Gmail as it saves the hassle of composing a new email, and allows users to get in touch with others instantly.
When Duo and Allo were introduced, people expected that Google will axe Hangouts, which the company denied initially. It was never clear how this former app will differentiate itself from the latest ones, as it offers similar services.
Now that Duo is already out and Allo is on the way, the search-giant has devised a strategy to market each of these apps separately. Mr. Nick Fox, Vice President of Communication Products at Google, told Engadget that the company plans to target executives with Hangout. However, the other two apps will target general users only.
Mr. Fox explained that Hangouts will be integrated into other services by Google, such as Drive, Calendar, Docs, and Gmail. This would help businesses to have a dedicated communication app, which will complement the aforementioned services and will certainly help employees enhance productivity.
Hangouts will not be taken away from those who still want to use it; the executive confirmed that users will still have access to features such as ‘Google Chat’. However, for unmatched messaging and video calling experience on smartphones, users can opt for Allo and Duo.
We believe that such an initiative for business users was certainly the need of time. Other tech giants such as Microsoft, are already capitalizing on the business community by offering dedicated services. Now that the target market is defined, Google can enhance Hangouts accordingly. Its competitor, Microsoft’s Skype for Business, is differentiated with extra features, such as integration of its productivity suite apps like Powerpoint and Word.
Although many users criticize separate apps for messaging and video calls, but Mr. Fox believes that text and video are two different modes of communication. We think that splitting these modes will make the interface much simpler and convenient. Duo’s direct competitor, Apple’s FaceTime, is already a very simple and convenient app for instant video calls. Moreover, it does not require any email account to sign up.
Apart from simplicity, Duo may take over its rivals due to its cross-platform availability. Evidently, introduction of different apps will expand Google’s market share, and will likely be appreciated by many users.