Google Duo arrives on more Chromebooks for video calls

This isn’t too surprising, given that the soon to be released Google Pixel Slate will support Google Duo calls and Duo appeared on a few Chrome tablets back in July,  but if you have a Chromebook — even a clamshell model — Google Duo may be available for your device.

According to the Google Play Store, the latest release adds Duo support for Android tablets. By extension then, at least some Chromebooks – true tablets and 2-in-1s — can install Google’s video calling app.

Redditor gabriele_tng noticed the updated Duo app and confirmed that it was installable on an Acer Chromebook R 13, which is $100 off at Costco for Black Friday if you need a low-cost 2-in-1 Chromebook.

I was able to install Google Duo on my Pixelbook where it worked like charm, just like it does on my iPhone, Pixel 3XL and Lenovo Smart Display. I initially thought that only Chromebooks which can be used in tablet mode would support the Duo installation, but I don’t have any clamshell Chromebooks to test that theory.

However, I noticed that some of my old clamshell Chromebooks, such as the Toshiba Chromebook 2, appear as valid devices, so even if you don’t have a Chrome tablet or a 2-in-1 Chromebook, your device may be supported.

With Google Hangouts essentially being phased out for consumers — Google is keeping it around for enterprises and G Suite accounts — Duo is basically the default platform choice for Android and Chrome OS video chats.

You can still use any other video chat service on a Chromebook that has a supported Android or web app, but Google would of course prefer you to use Duo. I’m fine with that because there are so many platforms to contact people that I can’t keep track of who is on what these days. I use Duo solely with my family and a few business partners. And now I can do that even when I’m on my Pixelbook.

About the author

Kevin C. Tofel has covered technology since 2004. He's used ChromeOS since Google debuted the CR-48 in 2010, reviewing dozens of Chromebooks since then. He worked for Google's Chrome Enterprise team from 2016 to 2017, supporting the launch of Android app support. In his free time, he uses Chromebooks to learn software engineering at Launch School. In 2019, Kevin joined the CS Curriculum Committee at his local community college.