While we continue to have questions about whether Duo’s career will continue much longer or if its possible merger with Meet is around the corner, Google’s video calling app continues to evolve. The latest that comes, and since it is released for both iOS and Android, has to do with the incorporation of a functionality that Google already uses in services such as YouTube: automatic transcription.
Imagine that you are in a noisy place with high ambient noise, that you have hearing problems or you simply cannot connect the headphones to the phone and you are forced to have the mobile silent. Now this is no longer a problem for Google Duo as it is capable of adding the automatic transcription to audio files and also to video calls that we do. Subtitles generated automatically and without delay.
For iOS and Android
As we have said, this functionality has been used for quite some time in services like YouTube. If the uploaded video does not have its own subtitles, we can tell Youtube to generate them automatically as the video progresses. Obviously there are errors due to the pronunciation of the person who is speaking or the quality of the video, but Google can already transcribe videos on the fly.
Now, Google Duo also incorporates this functionality and has called it ‘Live Caption’. It is not a new functionality since Google already did it on board the Pixel mobiles of the Californian firm, but now it is beginning to reach more brands, including OnePlus and Samsung. It is expected to even land on Duo video calling for the desktop, which was long ago enabled through the browser.
In a noisy place? No problem. Captions are now available on Google Duo, so you won’t miss a word of your video and voice messages. https://t.co/jqEvy9Vyn7 pic.twitter.com/gq5Z2ntn5P
– Made by Google (@madebygoogle) August 19, 2020
As Android Police has, the ‘Live caption’ functionality is being released for both iOS devices and Android devices and joining other accessibility features that Google has previously activated in its systems. So it’s a matter of time before the next Duo update arrives and we can test it out. Let’s hope that it is also activated for Spanish, because sometimes English-speaking users are the first to try something exclusively.
Via | Android Police