Google shows off its new 'Duo' video calling app

Google showed off a new video calling app today at its annual I/O developer conference. Dubbed "Duo," this app will be the companion to Allo, a Facebook Messenger-like app that Google also previewed on stage today. Like Allo, Duo will be mobile only when it is released later this summer and will be available on both iOS and Android.

"It's the companion app to Allo," Google engineering director Erik Kay told the crowd. "It's fast, performs well on slow networks, is end-to-end encrypted, works with your phone number, and works on Android and iOS." As such, Google reportedly spent a good deal of time optimizing the app for minimal latency regardless of the network connection by automatically adjusting the 720p video and audio quality to suit the available bandwidth. Interestingly, it won't require a separate login. Instead the app will use your phone number as its unique identifier.

Duo also features fully encrypted conversations that can be deleted without a trace, so all that kinky shit you do with your SO over the phone won't wind up being used against you during the divorce proceedings. The coolest feature of Duo, however, has got to be Knock Knock, which acts as a sort of video-calling peephole. Just as nobody blindly opens their front door when someone knocks anymore, Knock Knock allows users to see who's calling before picking up.

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