It’s update Wednesday!
Google today announced updates to a trio of its apps. First up is Google Duo, which is gaining support for audio calls. While Duo is focused on video calling, Google is adding support for audio calls for times when video isn’t a good option, like if you’re in a crowded space or you’ve got a less-than-great cellular connection.
Audio calling support in Google Duo is launching in Brazil today and will roll out to everyone around the world in the coming days.
The next Google app getting some love today is Allo. Google Allo is gaining support for file sharing in chats, meaning that you’ll be able to share .pdf, .doc, .apk, .zip, and .mp3 files in Allo conversations. Allo users in Brazil are getting Smart Smiley support in Portuguese, too.
Finally, Google Photos is getting improvements to backup and sharing. When you’ve got a low-speed connection, Google Photos will back up a “lightweight preview quality” of your images that will backup fast but still look good on a phone, Google says. When you hop back onto a speedy Wi-Fi connection, those lightweight images will be replaced with high-quality versions.
Google is also making it easier to share photos when you’ve got low connectivity. If you decide to share images when you’ve got a weak connection, Google Photos will send them at a low resolution initially, then update with a higher resolution version when your connection improves.
The Google Duo and Google Photos updates are coming to Android and iOS users, while the Google Allo file sharing will be rolled out to Android users.
