Coronavirus lockdown: Google Duo extends max participants in video conference to 12

With people staying at home to protect themselves from the coronavirus pandemic, social media and video calls are the new ways to hangout.

Representational Image: GSMArena

Now Google Duo, Google’s Android video calling app, has decided to increase the maximum number of participants in video conference calls.

The maximum number of people to make conference calls was eight earlier, which has been increased to 12 now.

Senior director of Product and Design at Google, Sanaz Ahari tweeted about the development.

We are grateful that Duo is helping users see their loved ones all around the world. We recognize group calling is particularly critical right now. We have increased group calling from 8 participants to 12 effective today. More to come. #AllInThisTogether #COVID19

— Sanaz (@sanazahari) March 27, 2020

She thanked Duo for helping "users see their loved ones all around the world". The post said the current times made group calling even more critical.

Sanaz added the change of maximum participants allowed for a conference call will be effective from 27 March.

When Google launched Duo in 2016, it did not have a group call feature. It was only in 2019 that group calling for up to four people began on the app. Within a month, the number was increased to eight.

In order to start a video call with 12 people, no update has been made available. One needs to open the app, select the ‘create group’ option and simply add 11 participants from contacts to the call.

While most Twitter users expressed happiness regarding the update, some asked for the group calling feature to be added in the web version of Google Duo as well.