Google is merging its video conferencing apps

Alphabet Inc. GOOGL GOOGL subsidiary company Google says he merges his To encounter and Duo video conferencing applications.

What happened: The announcement was made in a blog post by Javier Solterovice president and general manager of Google Workspace on Wednesday.

Soltero said Google will add all Meet functionality to Duo in the coming weeks, and later in the year Duo will be rebranded as Google Meet.

Duo features that would be retained include the ability to video call friends and family by phone number or email address and the use of “fun filters and effects”.

“All chat history, contacts and messages will continue to be saved in the app and there will be no new app to download,” Soltero wrote.

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Why is it important: Soltero said the merger will be “at no cost” and is part of Google’s mission to create a “connected experience” for all users.

Google Meet ranked no. 5 by popularity according to a poll shared by Statista. While 29.2% of respondents chose Meet, Microsoft Corporationit is MSFT The teams were chosen by 55.4%.

Price action: On Wednesday, Alphabet’s Class A shares closed up 0.1% at $2,277.84 in the regular session, while the company’s Class C shares rose 0.09% at $2. $282.74, depending Benzinga Pro data.

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