Google Duo video chat service moves to the web

Google Duo -- the web giant's video chat service -- is now available to web users.

Google's answer to Apple's FaceTime had previously been available only on iOS , Android and Chromebook, but Google on Tuesday began offering it to web-based users, dramatically expanding the number of people who can use the service.  

The simple video-calling app was introduced at Google's I/O conference in 2016, alongside the AI messaging app Allo. Nearly three years later, Google confirmed in December it's officially shutting down Allo, while Google Duo is expanding its reach.

To begin using Google Duo, web users need only to visit duo.google.com. Users with an established Duo account will see a box with their contacts in it, while new users will be invited to sign up by verifying their phone number.

Duo's web client supports both voice and video calls, but both users must be registered Duo users to participate. The newly released web client works with the Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers, but appears incompatible with Microsoft's Edge. Also, the service won't be available initially in all countries.

Google didn't respond to a request for comment.