Google adds 4 new features to video calling app Duo

The search engine giant is rolling out a new video codec technology to improve video call quality and reliability, even on very low-bandwidth connections.

The second feature that Google is releasing on Duo will allow users to click a photo during a video calling.

One can take a photo together to capture the moment on smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks, and share it automatically with everyone on the call. One will be able to do this on group calls and on more devices soon, the company said.

"Every week, over 10 million new people are signing up for Duo, and in many countries, call minutes have increased by more than ten-fold," informed Dave Citron, Group Product Manager, Google Duo on Tuesday.

Google recently increased its participant limit on video calls to 12 users and now the company has revealed its plans to further increase the limit.

Google is also adding a feature that will now automatically save video and voice messages that previously expired after 24 hours.

Users can send personalised video and voice messages when they can't call. Google now lets its users say "I miss you" or "I'm thinking of you" using one of its Augmented Reality (AR) effects.