Posted: 31 Mar 2020 07:00 AM PDT

Most people frequently communicate with friends, clients, and coworkers via text and voice calls. Often, it has been proven that visual communication (video call) is a much better medium of conveying information. Zoom and Google Duo are some of the household names in the video calling ecosystem. In this article, we compare Google Duo and Zoom to help you figure out which is the better video calling tool for your requirements.

Are you far away from your family and friends, and you need to keep in touch? Or you run a business with employees and clients in several countries and continents? Which of these two video calling tools should you go for? You should have answers to your questions at the end of this post. Read on.

1. Device Support and Registration

Let's start with the basics first. Google Duo lets users make high-quality audio and video calls on a wide array of supported devices (smartphones, tablets, web, and even on Smart Display devices like Google Nest Hub). On the other hand, Zoom supports just as many devices as Google Duo (except Smart Displays) but boasts of interoperability with a lot more platforms and tools (browser extensions and the likes) than Google Duo.

Zoom lets you integrate, schedule, and join individual video calls or group video conferences directly from third-party tools like Slack, Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, etc. It is also worth noting that Google Duo doesn't have a dedicated app for Mac and Windows. So, you'll have to use the web client via a browser.

You can download Zoom and Google Duo for your devices from the Download section of both platforms.

Download Google Duo for Your Devices

Download Zoom for Your Devices

To use Google Guo, sign in using your Google account, and begin making (voice and video) calls to contacts on your device or Google account. For Zoom, you'll have to create a new account with your email address to use the tool on your devices. Alternatively, you can use Zoom by connecting the tool to your Google and Facebook accounts.

2. Usage Situations

Although both tools let you make video calls, they are pretty different, especially concerning factors like target audience, usage intentions, and more. Google Duo is more suitable for the 'informal' communication with friends, family, and individuals whom you have their contact details.

On the other hand, Zoom serves official communication purposes for larger audiences. It is majorly designed to be a remote communication tool for professional, educational, and enterprise usage.

For more context, if you need to video call (a group of) friends for casual chitchat, small talks, and catching up, then Google Duo is the perfect option. Zoom is mainly structured for remote business meetings, online seminars/webinars, virtual classrooms, interviews, virtual workshops, and other forms of formal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications.

3. Video Calling Features

Both Google Duo and Zoom support individual and group video calling. However, we list some features that should help you make a choice on which tool to choose.

Group Calling

When you sign-up on Zoom, you are assigned to the free Basic plan, which lets you host as many as 100 participants in a single group call. There's a caveat, though: for group video calls with more than 3 participants, you are limited to 40 minutes of talk-time. If you need your group video calls to last more than 40 minutes with more participants, you'll have to upgrade to a premium paid subscription (more on that later). If you subscribe to Zoom's best plan, you can host as many as 1,000 participants in a single video call for unlimited hours.

For Google Duo, the maximum number of participants you can have in a group video call is 12. That doesn't come anywhere near what Zoom offers. On the bright side, Google Duo offers unlimited group video calling. There's no limit on the time you can spend with other participants in a single group video call.

Screen Sharing

When choosing a video call or conferencing app, you should not overlook the screen sharing feature. The ability to share what's on your screen with your friends or team-mates during a video call fosters effective collaboration. If you'd need to occasionally share the content of your mobile or computer's display during a video call, you should choose Zoom. Google Duo earlier announced screen sharing for Android, but the feature has since been disabled and is no longer supported on the platform.

To reiterate, you should opt for Zoom if screen sharing is a major requirement for your personal or business needs.

Screen Recording

This is another feature that Google Duo lacks. Recording a video call will come in handy if you need to have the content of a meeting for reference purposes, or should you need to share a webinar with absent participants. Zoom lets you record video calls, and you choose to store the recording on your computer or in the clouds. Later, you can edit those Zoom video recordings too.

Zoom also boasts of some advanced screen recording features like adding timestamps to video recording, recording a separate audio file for each participant, etc.

Virtual Background

This is another fun and handy feature of Zoom. If you are video calling in a not-so-visually-appealing room or an environment with a lot of distractions in the background, Zoom allows you to modify the video call backdrop to a plain color or any of the Zoom virtual background preset.

You can also choose an image (or video) from your device as a video call virtual background.

Note: Zoom's Virtual Background is only available for PC and iOS devices.

Incoming Caller Preview

Google Duo has a unique feature called Knock Knock. When enabled, you'll be able to see a live video preview of the incoming caller. This way, you can have an insight into where the person's calling from and (maybe) why they're calling you. That aside, it's a fun feature.

Zoom doesn't support live video preview; you can only see a caller when you join a video call, and the host/caller have their camera enabled.

Making Video Calls

On Zoom, you can host the call and send the Meeting ID or Zoom link to participants. Also, you can join a video call via the Meeting ID or Zoom link provided by the host.

Note: To host or join a video call on Zoom, you need to have the video call client/app installed on your device (see section #1 above for more details).

Google Duo works differently. You can only video call people who use Duo in your contacts list. Additionally, only people (Google Duo users) who have your number or email address in their contact list can video call you. Unlike Zoom, random people cannot join your Google Duo (group) video call.

Safety and Encryption

Both Zoom and Google Duo offer a slew of features designed to ensure secure video and voice communication. Google Duo, for example, support end-to-end encryption for voice, text, and video communications on mobile and web.

Zoom also secures communication and content sharing using 256-bit TLS encryption and AES-256 encryption respectively. Interestingly, in your Zoom 'In Meeting (Basic)' settings, you can also choose to encrypt your Zoom data that are shared with third-party apps and endpoints.

Plans & Pricing

Google Duo is free to use and there are no hidden charges. For small-sized families and businesses (with 12 members or less) that don't require any advanced video conferencing features (screen sharing, screen recording, virtual background, etc.) during communication, Google Duo is a perfect cost-saving option. The free Zoom Basic plan also works, but you won't be able to use it for long-duration communication (above 45 minutes) with your team members, family, or colleagues.

For businesses with a medium or large-sized team (≤100 members), investing in a paid Zoom plan is worth it. You get access to a tonne of advanced features.

View Zoom Plans & Subscription

Next up: Wondering which apps should you use on your Windows PC? Here is our curated list of 4 best Video Call apps for Windows 10.

10 must have Android messaging Apps in 2020 - Techjaja

Posted: 14 Mar 2020 10:53 AM PDT

Mobile operating systems offer many ways to communicate, and there are a ton of messaging apps out there to choose from. The most popular messaging apps this side of the Sahara are the unavoidable WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but apart from the must-have apps, there are plenty more out there to discover designed for sticker-lovers, busy professionals, the security-conscious, and even gamers. Check out Techjaja's roundup of the 10 must have messaging apps for 2020 Android users.

WhatsApp: The must have messaging app

We don't need to say much about this Facebook owned app. It is simple to use, reliable, and everyone seems to have it. It uses phone numbers from your address book so you don't have to add contacts manually, which is a big help when setting things up for the first time.

WhatsApp has all the standard messenger features you've come to know and love: voice and video calling, messaging, group chats, voice messages, and fun features like the ability to send stickers, emoji, GIFs, and your own photos and videos of course.

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Facebook Messenger

Love it or hate it, its ubiquity Facebook messenger makes things convenient when it comes to messaging by eliminating the need to trade numbers with your Facebook friends. For those you aren't connected with on Facebook, you can still contact them via Messenger using their phone number

It has a pretty easy to use interface that is simple to navigate, and you get stickers, emoji, and GIFs galore alongside the standard features like calling, photo sharing, and messaging. Plus, Messenger also has polls (which comes in handy when rallying the friend group together to pick a brunch spot), a selection of games, and the ability to connect you directly with a growing number of businesses using chatbots.

Session

Session is, without doubt, the best messenger app for those who want to be anonymous and stay under the radar of the webmasters desperate to harvest our data and sell it to advertisers. Session can be used without a telephone number, and yet still functions as a WhatsApp-style messenger capable of both texting and calling. It comes from the same team as Signal messenger, but features a couple of advantages over its sibling such as encrypted group chats. Session is certainly one of the most promising messengers for the privacy paranoid. You can download Session from the Google Play Store.

Skype

This is a mainly business focused app and its the original go-to app for video calls. This app, has been around for ages. As a result, it's seen some changes over time. It still has video calling and instant messaging, but now it's got a more sleek, modern design and works well on mobile devices. Plus, it has fun GIFs and moving emoji.

Adding contacts requires you to know their user ID, and while Skype-to-Skype calling and messaging is still free, there are paid options for calling or sending SMS messages to traditional phone numbers.

Threema

We know most of you have not heard of this one before, but if you are a privacy freak, this is a messenger app for you. Contacts are identified through Threema IDs. They are stored on the Threema's servers so that you can backup and transfer your account from device to device. However, there are lots of extra security measures and features here that make Threema an ideal choice for those looking to take control of their personal data when messaging their friends. The only downsides to Threema are that it costs a couple of bucks and you'll have to convince your friends and family to pay up too if you want to have people to talk to on the app. It comes highly recommended for those trying to avoid government eavesdropping.

WeChat

This messenger app is very popular in China, and like other messenger apps, it works quite well. The big difference is that it tries to expand your network with potential contacts who are nearby. You just have to shake your phone and you could find someone on WeChat who's also looking for a new friend. You can then add them or choose not to.

You can use the 'Friend Radar' to find friends who are nearby so you can meet up with them. When you do this, a little 'radar' pops up on the app and searches for friends in your vicinity. Once you see them on your radar you can chat with them and propose a meeting.

Signal

This is another secure messaging app that is commonly used to prevent governments from spying on you. With Signal, you can send encrypted messages, including images, videos, and voice notes. Plus, it can do one-to-one voice and video calling. Functionally, it's a lot like normal messengers, but with a focus on security and privacy. It does lack tablet support for now, though.

Thanks to its end-to-end encryption, you can trust that your messages and calls are secure. Additionally, no group chat metadata is passed to Signal's servers, so Signal can't access the list of your group members, the names of your groups, or the group icons. It also has a disappearing message feature that Snapchat users will be familiar with.

Slack: Best for work

Slack is hands-down the best app for business messaging on mobile and desktop. While it doesn't totally replace email, it can come close by keeping all your day-to-day operational chatter and announcements in one place.

You can create channels by department, create groups of certain people collaborating on a project together, or do one-to-one messages. Emoji reactions also save time, since you can give a quick thumbs up to mean "roger that" or "great idea". Plus, it has extensions that work with other collaboration tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Salesforce and Asana.

Discord: For chat gamers

If you're a gamer, there's one messaging app you won't be able to live without. Discord lets you chat, and do audio and video calls, just like any other messaging app, but it's designed with gamers in mind and has a lot of additional features that make it perfect for keeping up with your community.

Private and public messaging, instant invite links, member roles for servers, the ability to organize in guilds, and see which games your friends are actively playing all make this the ultimate app for gamers. But, Discord is also used by Reddit communities, Twitch streamers, YouTubers, and other groups too. The more the merrier!

Line

Finally we have Line, that is jam-packed full of stickers and other fun stuff and is immensely popular throughout large parts of Asia as a social network and messenger app. You can get several sets of stickers for free, then for a small cost, you can get more from the in-app sticker store.

Line is kind of like Twitter, Facebook and Skype all rolled into one. It's also feature-filled with group chats, multi-platform capabilities (phone, tablet, PC), timeline, recorded voice messages, media sharing and much, much more, including official account messages from celebrities you like.

Honorary mentions go to Telegram

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Signal Is Finally Bringing Its Secure Messaging to the Masses - WIRED

Posted: 14 Feb 2020 04:16 AM PST

"The major transition Signal has undergone is from a three-person small effort to something that is now a serious project with the capacity to do what is required to build software in the world today," Marlinspike says.

Many of those features might sound trivial. They certainly aren't the sort that appealed to Signal's earliest core users. Instead, they're what Acton calls "enrichment features." They're designed to attract normal people who want a messaging app as multifunctional as WhatsApp, iMessage, or Facebook Messenger but still value Signal's widely trusted security and the fact that it collects virtually no user data. "This is not just for hyperparanoid security researchers, but for the masses," says Acton. "This is something for everyone in the world."

Even before those crowdpleaser features, Signal was growing at a rate most startups would envy. When WIRED profiled Marlinspike in 2016, he would confirm only that Signal had at least two million users. Today, he remains tightlipped about Signal's total user base, but it's had more than 10 million downloads on Android alone according to the Google Play Store's count. Acton adds that another 40 percent of the app's users are on iOS.

Its adoption has spread from Black Lives Matters and pro-choice activists in Latin America to politicians and political aides—even noted technically incompetent ones like Rudy Giuliani—to NBA and NFL players. In 2017, it appeared in the hacker show Mr. Robot and political thriller House of Cards. Last year, in a sign of its changing audience, it showed up in the teen drama Euphoria.

Identifying the features mass audiences want isn't so hard. But building even simple-sounding enhancements within Signal's privacy constraints—including a lack of metadata that even WhatsApp doesn't promise–can require significant feats of security engineering, and in some cases actual new research in cryptography.

Take stickers, one of the simpler recent Signal upgrades. On a less secure platform, that sort of integration is fairly straightforward. For Signal, it required designing a system where every sticker "pack" is encrypted with a "pack key." That key is itself encrypted and shared from one user to another when someone wants to install new stickers on their phone, so that Signal's server can never see decrypted stickers or even identify the Signal user who created or sent them.

Signal's new group messaging, which will allow administrators to add and remove people from groups without a Signal server ever being aware of that group's members, required going further still. Signal partnered with Microsoft Research to invent a novel form of "anonymous credentials" that let a server gatekeep who belongs in a group, but without ever learning the members' identities. "It required coming up with some innovations in the world of cryptography," Marlinspike says. "And in the end, it's just invisible. It's just groups, and it works like we expect groups to work."

Signal is rethinking how it keeps track of its users' social graphs, too. Another new feature it's testing, called "secure value recovery," would let you create an address book of your Signal contacts and store them on a Signal server, rather than simply depend on the contact list from your phone. That server-stored contact list would be preserved even when you switch to a new phone. To prevent Signal's servers from seeing those contacts, it would encrypt them with a key stored in the SGX secure enclave that's meant to hide certain data even from the rest of the server's operating system.

That feature might someday even allow Signal to ditch its current system of identifying users based on their phone numbers—a feature that many privacy advocates have criticized, since it forces anyone who wants to be contacted via Signal to hand out a cell phone number, often to strangers. Instead, it could store persistent identities for users securely on its servers. "I'll just say, this is something we're thinking about," says Marlinspike. Secure value recovery, he says, "would be the first step in resolving that."

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Google Duo vs Zoom: Which Is the Best Video Calling Tool - Guiding Tech