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The folks over at XDA Developers discovered a fun new feature in Google Duo just a few days ago that allows users to log in and use the video chat service on Android tablets in addition to the already-supported Android phones.
The big addition here is the ability to stay signed in to multiple devices at once. This happens now that Duo supports Google account sign-in instead of simply relying on just a phone number. When Google launched Allo and Duo, they wanted to try to make the barrier to entry very low and basically removed the need for a Google account in order to use both apps.
The problem with that approach is it doesn’t lend itself to multi-device support, and it has been a real issue for both of Google’s newer messaging apps. The account linking looks to now be turned on and you can now have multiple devices signed into Duo at once.
For Chromebooks
Until now, users haven’t had the option of even installing Duo on their Chromebook, but that all looks to be changing. A handful of Chromebooks now meet unknown guidelines for being eligible to install Duo right from the Play Store. The process works just like any other app, so there’s nothing special you need to do.
So far, we know the new Samsung Chromebook Plus V2, HP Chromebook x2, and Acer Chromebook Tab 10 all have the app available to them. Oddly enough, my Pixelbook is still left out of the mix, but I would guarantee nearly all Chromebooks will be able to download and use Duo in the coming weeks. There’s simply no reason to leave anyone out on this.
Chromebook and Tablet Ready
The other nice thing here is the care taken to make the UI work on larger screens. This isn’t just a blown-up phone app but an experience unique to tablets and Chromebooks. I, for one, am very excited to see this type of UI handling from Google as they need to really be the example for developers to follow.
It is one thing for an app to function on a Chromebook. It is entirely another to see the interface tweaked to take advantage of larger screens on Chromebooks.
We’ve taken the app for a few test drives and, not surprisingly, everything works well and video chats are super-smooth and enjoyable. Now, Google, can we work on getting Google Camera up and running on Chromebooks?
