Stereo separation would help each call participant stand out
A few weeks ago, Google announced the bold but not unexpected merger of Google Duo and Meet would come up in the next few months. Duo will be transitioned into Meet, which will become the company’s only option for all your video calling needs. As the merger nears, Google also wants to provide Meet with upgrades as it prepares to accommodate former Duo users. One of those improvements might come in the form of a new stereo separation feature to help you keep your eyes, and ears, on your call.
The in-development feature was spotted by 9to5Google in an APK teardown of both Duo and Gmail (which currently manages and executes Meet calls on Android), and the evidence seems fairly straightforward. There is a new “stereo separation” string, also referred to as “binaural audio” in other parts. Further strings suggest that Meet will make it easier to identify who is currently speaking depending on their position on your screen. This is done by utilizing stereo audio, with sound positioned on your speakers’ or headphones’ left and right channels in a way that it matches the visual positioning of participants.
Notably, this change was spotted both in the Duo and Gmail app, which makes sense — Google has vowed to update the existing Duo Android app to become Meet in the future. Together with these strings, the folks at 9to5 also noticed the Duo app has received code indicating it’ll get functionality for joining Meet links and codes. It additionally has strings signaling a switch from end-to-end encryption (used by Duo) to cloud encryption, and a banner explaining the rebranding from Duo to Meet.
It goes without saying that nothing we mentioned here is live as of now, since it’s all in development. We should know more within the next few weeks or months, though.
