Google Duo Introduces Captions for Audio, Video Messages

This feature will only be applicable for recorded video and voice messages, not live video calls.

By Tanishka Sodhi | Updated: 20 August 2020 12:14 IST

Google Duo Introduces Captions for Audio, Video Messages

The captions will appear at the bottom of the screen when you play the voicemail

Highlights

Google Duo will have captions for video and voice messages
This feature will help in communicating from noisy places
It will be rolled out to iOS and Android soon

Google has introduced captions for video and voice messages on Google Duo. This feature will only be applicable to recorded video and voice messages, and not live video calls. The captions will appear at the bottom of the screen when you play the voicemail, just above the ‘Call' button. These captions will aid in communicating from a noisy place, where the audio often gets lost in the background sounds. The feature is expected to roll out soon.

Google announced the feature on Twitter from its Made by Google handle, with a video that demonstrated how the captions would appear for video messages.

“In a noisy place? No problem. Captions are now available on Google Duo, so you won't miss a word of your video and voice messages,” said Google in the tweet.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

A Google spokesperson confirmed to Android Police that this feature would be available for Android and iOS versions of Duo.

It must be noted that this feature is different from the Live Captions feature that Google rolled out for Pixel phones, where transcription appears for any spoken word on the device.

Recently, an online report had claimed that Google had plans of replacing Google Duo with Google Meet. G Suite head Javier Soltero had reportedly told employees that the coexistence of Duo and Meet, both video calling apps, doesn't make sense. A merger was reportedly being planned, internally referred to as ‘Duet' (Duo + Meet.)

Google Duo Now Supports 32-People Video Chats on Web

In the past, reports have also suggested that Google Chrome browser will soon support the Live Caption feature. Video calling platforms have seen a steady rise in their userbase the past few months, with more and more tasks being performed virtually, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Google Duo group calls had started with just four participants initially that was then increased to eight and then to 12 participants in March. Now, Google Duo supports up to 32 people in a group call.

Should the government explain why Chinese apps were banned? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.