Google Duo Now Supports Up to 12-Person Group Calls

You can now use Duo to participate in video calls with up to 12 people, Google's Sanaz Ahari Lemelson announced.

It's the second increase for Duo since last year. Google first limited users to one-on-one video calls, and then it rolled out group-style support with an 8-person maximum capacity.

Google decided to roll out the larger limit due to ongoing coronavirus outbreak. "We are grateful that Duo is helping users see their loved ones all around the world," Ahari Lemelson said on Twitter. "We have increased group calling from 8 participants to 12 effective today. More to come." So it might get joined by other enhancements and features that Google planned for a later time but sees as a priority to offer sooner. Ahari Lemelson didn't specify if the 12-person limit will remain as a permanent increase, though that seems likely.

You'll find larger capacities on other platforms, however. Skype lets up to 50 users join a call, and Apple's FaceTime welcomes as many as 32 users. Duo also falls short of the 100 users that Google's Hangouts Meet supports. Still, it's a welcome increase for users who enjoy the Duo and its simplified approach to video calls.

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Duo is available on both iOS and Android, and Google also lets users participate in video calls through a web browser.

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