Earlier this week I posted an article on an update to Google Duo which brought the ability to register your Gmail account on multiple devices to use the video chat app. It was a big win for the app and a feature that was sorely needed.
The next obvious question was if Duo could be installed on a Chromeboook that is capable of running Android apps? It could prove to be a great win for Chrome OS and provide users the option to use the video chat app not just on a mobile but on their laptop too. The answer is yes, but it is extremely limited right now.
Kevin Tofel over at About Chromebooks was able to get Google Duo installed on his Acer Chromebook Tab 10 while the team over at XDA was successful in getting it installed on the HP Chromebook X2. That’s only two devices in a sea of Chromebooks, but it is a start.
Curiously, the Google Pixelbook is not an option when it comes to installing Duo. When you visit the Play Store from the Pixelbook and try to install Duo, you get the “Your device isn’t compatible with this version” warning and simply won’t install.
Google Duo Installer on Chrome OS
My guess is that this will change as Google slowly enables Duo to work on more devices through back end changes on the Play Store and to the app’s manifest. The good news is that they clearly are heading that direction given that it runs on these two Chrome OS devices.
