You will not be able to use the OG Google Meet anymore. Yes you heard it right, as a part of upgrading the original Meet app (earlier known as Hangouts) Google is removing the Meet app from Playstore. But what does it mean for you? Here’s a look at how the update will change your meeting experience.
Adieu Google meet
Earlier in 2020, Google rebranded Hangouts Meet to Meet. Just after two years it made another change. The Google Duo was changed into Meet. To differentiate between the two Meet , the tech giant added a (original) label to the rebranded version of Hangouts Meet . It then focused on improving the Meet (originally Duo). Now after two years, the company is finally killing the original Meet (Hangouts). It will be removed from the Play Store. So, if you are trying to install it, you will be redirected to launch the new Meet ( Duo).
As reported by 9to5Google, Android phone users are not able to use Google Meet app. So, what is happening? Users are not able to join a video while using the mobile app. They are getting an error message along with a popup. This popup showcased a message instructing them to download the new Meet and uninstall the old one. “ You can’t use this version of the Meet app anymore,” the message shows. You also get a new button that will eventually redirect you to the Google Play Store listing for the new Meet app.
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As many users are not able to download the old Meet app (original) one, there has been backlashes. However, against this the company claims that the new Meet app (Duo) was downloaded more times than the original ones. To be specific, the new Meet was downloaded about 5 billion times. On the other hand, the old one was just downloaded for 500 million times, which is comparatively quite low. Well, the huge difference shows that deleting the original one was indeed a right move.
The future
Just like in the Android phones, Google has also removed the original app from the Apple app store. So, iPhone users, if you see an error message, don’t worry it’s not your phone, it’s Google! However, it will take some time for the change to be available to every user. So, just hang on and wait!
In spite of the changes, Google continues to improve its existing features such as direct calling capability, attendant reactions, audio-only mode and live captions, among others.
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