Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often encounter system applications whose purpose is not always obvious immediately after the first turn on. One such service is Google Duo (or simply Duo), which can be pre-installed on a device or offered for installation in the Play Market store. Users wonder whether it is safe, why it is necessary and whether it can be done without it if you prefer other messengers.
In fact, it's a video communication tool developed by Google that's deeply integrated into the Android ecosystem. On Xiaomi smartphones, it often works in conjunction with system calls, allowing you to make video calls directly from the phone book. However, its obsession and resource consumption make many people wonder if it's useful to have it on the device.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the functionality of the service, analyze its impact on battery autonomy, and figure out how to properly manage its settings or completely remove it if it is not necessary. Understanding the background processes will help you optimize the operation of MIUI or HyperOS.
The main purpose and functionality of the service
The app’s main goal is to provide high-quality video communication even when the Internet connection is unstable. The WebRTC algorithms used in the service allow you to adapt the image quality in real time, minimizing delays, which makes it a great tool for communicating with people who have weak mobile Internet.
Unlike many of its peers, Duo was originally designed as a simple "call": there's no news feed, channels or complex privacy settings that get tangled up in the menu. You just pick a contact and make a call. Xiaomi devices often feature Quick Answer, which allows you to turn on the video camera for a few seconds to show the other person that you're busy without taking the call.
⚠️ Attention: The app can automatically activate the front camera when a preview call is made, which sometimes scares users who are first-time users into using the feature. You can start a conversation on a Xiaomi smartphone and seamlessly switch to a tablet or smart speaker with a screen if they are tied to a single account.This provides continuity of communication, which is especially important for those who use the Google Home ecosystem. 📊 Do you use video calls?Daily for work Only for communication with relatives Rarely, prefer text Never used Integration with the system MIUI On Xiaomi smartphones, the integration of Google services often goes beyond just having an icon on the menu. This means that when dialing from contacts, the interface can offer video calls through this service along with a regular voice call. This deep integration provides convenience, but also increases resource consumption. MIUI and HyperOS shells have aggressive energy saving algorithms that can conflict with the background work of messengers. In order for the notifications of incoming calls to come on time, the system has to keep certain processes in memory. This can lead to the fact that in the charge consumption list you notice the activity of Google Play Services or Duo itself, even if you did not use it. For users who value the cleanliness of the interface, it is important that the system is installed when the system. Deleting or disabling a video call from a standard caller may cause it to stop working or require an alternative to be installed. 💡If you don't use video, turn off the camera permission for this app in the privacy settings, which will improve security and reduce background activity. The messenger market is oversaturated, and the choice often depends on the preferences of the environment. However, technically, Google Duo (now part of Google Meet) has a number of differences from popular applications in the CIS. Google Duo / Meet WhatsApp / Viber Telegram Communication Quality High (adaptive) Medium / Good Depends on the server Link Phone Number / Gmail Phone Number Background mode Deep integration Requires activity Optimized Group calls Up to 32 people (free) Limited Up to 1000 viewers The main advantage of Duo over Viber or WhatsApp is that you do not need to register a new account if you already have Gmail. In addition, the quality of video compression often outperforms competitors, which is critical with a bad 3G/4G Duo, but the social signal is much wider than that is already installed in your contacts. On the other hand, Telegram benefits in messaging speed and file handling, but its video calls came later and may be inferior in connection stability on older Xiaomi models. If privacy is important to you, it is worth noting that all of these services use encryption, but the implementation of protocols from Google is considered one of the most reliable thanks to open standards. Why Duo was renamed Meet?Google combined services for the corporate and personal segment. Now the application is called Google Meet, but the Duo functionality (personal calls) is completely saved and moved there. The impact on the battery and performance Any application that works in the background to wait for an incoming call, Xiaomi can consume energy with a tighter impact. If you rarely use video, the service's constant activity can cause a small but regular battery drain in standby mode. Special attention should be paid to using a microphone and camera. The application has access to these components, and although the Android system controls this access, background processes can initiate a check of device availability. On older Redmi or Poco models, this can cause micro-slowdowns of the interface. If you notice that the phone is heating up in your pocket, check battery usage statistics. Often, Google's "heavy" services can consume up to 5-10% of charge per day if the synchronization is incorrect or if the network does not solve such a problem. ⚠️ Warning: Forced shutdown of system applications through settings can cause them to automatically restart by Android, which will put additional strain on the processor. Since Duo is a system component in many firmware, normal removal through long-pressed icons may not be available.However, there are ways to limit it to work or remove it completely with the help of rights. ADB. First, try the standard settings. MIUI. You can start by simply preventing the app from running in the background, which will save it on the phone in case of need, but will prevent you from wasting battery life. → Annexes → All apps, search in the Google Duo (or Meet) list and select AutoStart. Make sure the switch is off. ☑️ Optimization of Duo Work Disable AutoRun:Limit background activities:Background access to data in the background:Check microphone access rights: 0 / 1 Next, you need to configure battery limitations. In the same app menu, look for Battery or Energy Saving and select No Restrictions (to make calls come) or Restrict Background Activity (if you don't need the app). To completely disable notifications, use the Notifications menu and uncheck all ticks. If you want to uninstall the app completely, you will need a computer and utility. ADB (Android Debug Bridge.This method is safe if you follow the instructions, but requires you to turn on the developer mode on your Xiaomi smartphone. USB Connect your phone to your PC and type in the command to search for the package: adb shell pm list packages | grep duo. Find the packet name (usually com.google.android.apps.tachyon or com.google.android.apps.meetings). Enter the command to delete for the current user: adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.tachyon. adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.tachyon Once the command is complete, the icon will disappear and the app will no longer take up space and resources.It can only be returned through a reset of the phone settings or re-installation from the Play Market, if it is available for your model. 💡Complete removal through ADB — The only way to get rid of the system application without root rights, but it requires caution when entering commands. Frequent problems and ways to solve them Xiaomi users can face specific errors. For example, a video call may not arrive if the system has killed the process to save energy. In this case, adding an app to the power saving exception list (“No restrictions”) and enabling auto-start will help. Another common problem is a black screen instead of an image of the interlocutor. This is often solved by cleaning the app cache. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Google Duo → Memory. → Clear the cache. Also make sure the app has permission to use the camera and microphone in the Permissions section. If the sound is interrupted during the call or you hear an echo, try turning off the Noise Cancel feature in the settings of the app itself (if available) or in the system settings of Xiaomi's sound. MIUI And Google codecs are calling up artifacts like this. Why does the app require constant access to contacts? To work, a video caller needs to know who you're calling. Access to contacts allows you to sync your address book with Google servers to display avatars and user statuses. Without that permission, the functionality is reduced to manual dialing. Can you use Duo without a phone number? SIM-Newer versions (Google Meet) allow you to register through a Google account, but for regular phone calls or communications with users of older versions of Duo, a number can still be requested for identification. Is it safe to remove Google system components? Deleting the Duo itself is safe for the phone to work. However, do not delete Google Play Services or Google Play Store, as this will disrupt most other applications, including maps, mail and sync. What to do if after deleting a video call from the phone book is lost? Xiaomi's system caller could have used Duo as a video call provider. Once removed, this feature will disappear. To return video calls, install any other application (WhatsApp, Viber) and configure it as the default application for calling in system settings.