In the ever-shifting world of tech giants’ communication tools, Google has once again delayed the inevitable demise of its legacy video calling app, Duo, pushing back the full transition to Google Meet. This latest extension, as reported by Android Authority, grants users a brief reprieve until a new cutoff date, allowing more time to migrate call histories and adapt to the unified platform. The move underscores Google’s ongoing efforts to streamline its suite of apps, a process that has been fraught with user confusion and incremental changes since the merger was first announced.

For those deeply embedded in Google’s ecosystem, this isn’t just a minor update—it’s the culmination of a multi-year saga. Duo, launched in 2016 as a simple, mobile-first video calling service, was designed to compete with the likes of FaceTime and WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Meet evolved from Google’s enterprise-focused Hangouts, gaining traction during the pandemic for virtual meetings. The decision to merge them aimed to eliminate redundancy, but the path has been anything but smooth.

A History of Mergers and Missteps

The integration began in earnest back in 2022, when Google declared that Duo would be rebranded and absorbed into Meet, combining the best features of both. As detailed in a piece from Android Police, the transition involved updating the Duo app to include Meet’s advanced capabilities like screen sharing and larger group calls, while retaining Duo’s intuitive one-on-one video interface. Users started seeing banners prompting the switch, but not without glitches—some reported lost call logs or incompatible features during the rollout.

This wasn’t Google’s first attempt to consolidate its messaging empire. Rumors of Duo’s potential absorption into Meet surfaced as early as 2020, according to an earlier report from Android Authority, highlighting the company’s notorious habit of launching, then killing or merging apps. By mid-2022, the merger accelerated, with Google confirming the phase-out of standalone Duo elements, a development covered extensively in Pocket-lint.

The Final Push and User Impact

Fast-forward to 2025, and Google is now gearing up for what it calls the “complete transition,” initially slated for earlier this year but delayed multiple times. A May update from Android Authority revealed plans to sunset legacy Duo features by September, including certain calling histories and integrations that hadn’t fully migrated. However, the latest extension, as per the same publication’s recent coverage, extends this lifeline, giving users until an unspecified new date to export data via Meet’s settings.

For industry insiders, this delay raises questions about Google’s execution strategy. Critics argue it reflects poor planning, especially as competitors like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have solidified their positions with more stable offerings. Users, particularly those reliant on Duo’s simplicity for personal calls, may face disruption—exporting legacy data is straightforward but requires proactive steps, as noted in Android Central.

Broader Implications for Google’s Strategy

Beyond the technicalities, this transition highlights Google’s broader push toward a cohesive communication suite. The redesigned Meet app, updated in February 2025 with a refreshed mobile interface as reported by Android Authority, moves familiar buttons and enhances usability, signaling investment in a post-Duo era. Yet, echoes of past mergers linger; Reddit discussions from 2022, archived on r/google, capture ongoing user frustration with overlapping apps and inconsistent experiences.

As Google finally retires Duo’s remnants, the focus shifts to whether Meet can truly become the all-in-one solution. For developers and enterprise users, this means adapting APIs and workflows, potentially streamlining integrations but risking short-term productivity hits. In the end, while the extension buys time, it may only prolong the pain of a merger that has tested user loyalty for years.