Google Duo is pushing Hangouts off Android

It looks like Hangouts is being sent to the big office suite in the sky. According to Android Police, starting on December 1st, phone makers like Samsung and HTC will no longer be required to add Hangouts to their handsets. Instead, Duo will be the mandatory video-calling app on Google-powered devices.

This isn't that surprising, Google has said that it will focus on making Hangouts more of a business app and after December 1st, users will be able to download it from the Play Store.

Meanwhile cross-platform Duo is geared more towards the masses with a simpler interface and "fun" features like Knock Knock which shares a video of a person before a call is answered.

But don't be surprised if come December you see both apps on your new Android phone. Just because Hangouts is no longer a mandatory part of the default OS bundle doesn't mean phone makers will pull it right away.