Google Duo APK code hints at a 'pause' button and a referral program with rewards

Google Duo is the Alphabet subsidiary's app for initiating and receiving video chats for both Android and iOS users. According to a report published today, a teardown of the Duo APK reveals some interesting code hinting at possible new features that could be coming to the app in the near future. For example, some strings of code discovered seemingly points to a way for Duo users to 'pause' a live video chat.

The two lines related to 'pause' first indicate that a user will see the message that the other party's video feed is off. And the second line appears to be a reminder that tells that same user to remind the person on the other side of the conversation that he/she can turn the video feed back on by opening Duo. While the video is paused, it appears that these two messages will appear on the screen along with the profile picture of the person who paused the feed, and a small icon of a video camera.

The report also mentions the discovery of code that indicates an upcoming referral program to help recruit more Duo users. Four lines of code include the words "rewards" and "invite" and "invitor (sic)." One string in particular stands out. It says, "Congrats! You earned %s," with the end of the string a placeholder for whatever reward Google has in mind for this feature.

Keep in mind that these new capabilities are probably not part of the Duo update rolling out today, and they may never actually become part of Google Duo. But the discovery of the code does tell us some of the things Google has been working on for its cross-platform Video chat app.

If you haven't installed Duo on your Android or iOS handset, you can do so by clicking on the appropriate link: (iOS|Android).

source: AndroidPolice