History of Google Meet in Timeline
Google Meet is a video communication service by Google, replacing Google Hangouts along with Google Chat. It also replaced Google Duo on November 1, 2022, with the Duo app renamed to Meet and the original Meet app scheduled to be discontinued.
February 2017: Google Meet soft launch
Google Meet had a soft launch with an invite-only iOS app release in February 2017.
March 2017: Google Meet formally launches
Google formally launched Google Meet in March 2017 as an enterprise-friendly video conferencing app, positioning it as a replacement for Google Hangouts.
March 2020: Google Meet rolls out to personal Google accounts
In March 2020, Google made Meet accessible to personal Google account holders.
March 2020: Google Meet extends advanced features
In March 2020, Google made advanced features in the enterprise edition of Google Meet available to all Google Workspace and G Suite for Education users.
April 2020: Google Meet announces plans to support the AV1 video codec
Google announced its intention to incorporate the AV1 video codec into Google Meet in April 2020.
April 2020: Google Meet made available to all users
In April 2020, Google made Meet available to all users due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking a significant increase in its user base.
May 2020: Asus unveils Google Meet videoconferencing hardware
In May 2020, Asus introduced videoconferencing hardware specifically designed for Google Meet in conference room settings.
August 2020: Google plans to merge Duo and Meet
In August 2020, Google announced plans to merge Google Duo with Google Meet.
September 15, 2020: Google unveils Meet Series One
On September 15, 2020, Google, in collaboration with Lenovo, launched Meet Series One, a hardware suite designed for enhanced video conferencing.
February 2021: Google Meet introduces "Lyra" codec
In February 2021, Google introduced "Lyra", a new very low-bitrate codec for speech compression that works with network speeds as low as 3 kbit/s.
December 2021: Google drops Duo and Meet merger plans
Google abandoned its objective to merge Google Duo and Google Meet in December 2021.
January 2022: Google Meet restricts advanced features
Google removed access to the advanced features for educators and workspace users in January 2022 unless they were subscribers.
June 2022: Google announces Duo and Meet merger
In June 2022, Google reversed course and announced that Duo would be merged into Meet.
November 1, 2022: Google Duo replaced with Google Meet
On November 1, 2022, Google Meet replaced the consumer-facing Google Duo. The Duo mobile app was renamed to Meet, and the original Meet app is set to be phased out.