FaceTime vs Google Duo on iPhone: You Must Switch

FaceTime is a defining feature of the iPhone. Besides iMessage, it’s the best way to communicate with others as long as they’re using an iPhone. But not everyone does it, and with its multiplatform availability, this is where Google Duo comes into the picture.

Despite its deep roots in Android, Google offers some of the best third-party alternatives to iPhone’s native apps and services: Chrome, Google Photos, Google Calendar, and more. And Google Duo falls exactly into that camp.

But is it good enough to replace FaceTime? After using Google Duo on iPhone for the past few weeks, here’s what I’m thinking.

FaceTime — iOS Integration

FaceTime is designed for iPhone. And ‘it just works’. Open the FaceTime app and you’re ready – it’s that simple. Apple has also polished it to near-perfect over the years, which means fewer bugs and problems.

To Google’s credit, Duo requires very little effort to set up on the iPhone. After installing and providing the necessary permissions, you’re pretty much done. But as a third-party app, there is always a concern that it might break at the worst times.

Google Duo — Cross Platform

Except for iPhone, FaceTime is only available for iPad and Mac. And this is perhaps both his greatest strength and weakness. You have a service that works flawlessly on Apple hardware, but when it comes to chatting with contacts on Android, consider yourself out of luck.

Google Duo, on the other hand, runs on iOS and Android so you can communicate with anyone, regardless of platform. It also has a web version, meaning you can Duo with PC and Mac users as well. If there’s any good reason to use the app on your iPhone, this is it.

FaceTime — Call Quality

Call quality is largely subjective as much depends on network conditions. But in my experience, FaceTime calls almost always sound incredibly clear, videos rarely stutter, and lag issues are minimal.

For a third-party app, Google Duo also performed admirably. I had no issues with connectivity and both audio and video calls sounded great. But I’ve encountered annoying delays more often than FaceTime.

FaceTime — Group Calls

It supports both FaceTime and Google Duo group calls. But Apple knows its hardware and software best, and it shows. FaceTime lets you group chat with up to 32 people at the same time. That’s incredible.

On the other hand, Google Duo’s limit of 12 people per group call (still a lot) sounds trivial in comparison. If you plan to chat with dozens of people at once, stick with FaceTime.

Google Duo — Send Message

FaceTime serves one purpose – to video or audio chat with others. Google Duo takes things a step further with its ability to send video, audio and text messages.

Performing a swipe down takes some getting used to and you can start recording or composing your messages. When you’re done, you can easily send them to your Duo contacts. The app even lets you share stuff from your photo library.

But you don’t miss a thing with FaceTime, as you can do all this effortlessly using iMessage.

FaceTime — Better Privacy

Apple is best known for its strong stance on privacy. On the other hand, Google has a history of collecting data. The fact that you have to give Google Duo permissions to your contacts, camera, and microphone sounds a little frustrating.

Google Duo even has a spooky (and violating) feature called Knock Knock that lets you see the live video stream before answering a contact’s call – and vice versa. However, you can turn it off.

That aside, both FaceTime and Google Duo completely encrypt your calls. That’s why no one can keep an eye on your conversations.

Google Duo — Built-in Settings

Almost all of the iPhone’s native apps require you to go into the Settings app whenever you want to make a change. And this applies to FaceTime as well. Want to block a user? You should take a long trip to the Settings app. Totally frustrating.

But Google Duo has all its settings in the app itself, which includes the block list.

It also has a few options that FaceTime doesn’t have, such as the ability to limit cellular data usage and a nifty low-light mode for video calls that look better at night.

Google Duo — User Interface

FaceTime is very minimalist. Sometimes, however, it feels like Apple has gone a little too far in that direction. Want to start a new search? You have to manually search for contacts and that gets boring fast.

In contrast, Google Duo lists all your contacts on the home screen itself. People who have Duo installed on their phones appear at the top of the list. You can also invite people without Duo to get the app from the same screen.

FaceTime — Special Effects

If you’re into special effects, nothing beats FaceTime. Not only do you have access to many special effects and filters (want to look like a comic?), FaceTime also supports live animojis.

Google Duo won’t let you down and comes with its own effects and filters. The downside is that they are not as good as FaceTime. Also the app does not support animojis and animojis are important. But hey, that’s just me.

Decision – use both

FaceTime works best on iPhone, but Google Duo easily unblocks you from chatting with people on Android. And if that’s an issue from the get-go, get Google Duo now.

Download Google Duo

But you’ll still have to rely heavily on FaceTime. Google Duo is available everywhere, but not everyone using an iPhone has or wanted to install it.

My suggestion – use both. That way, you have the best of both worlds.

Next: Have you installed Google Duo? Then here are some incredible tips and tricks to get you started.