GOOGLE is going up against Facetime.

The company launched a free new video calling service called “Duo” on Tuesday.

 

Duo allows users to make calls between IOS and Android devices, which is something Facetime cannot do.

 

It opens with a split-screen view of your front-facing camera and a group of recently dialed contacts.  It also lets you see what you look like before you place a call.  

 

Duo will ring your phone for up to a minute before hanging up, giving you more time to decide if you want to answer than Facetime does; Facetime rings for about 30 seconds.

 

Another feature: incoming calls will not interrupt your video chat.  There is no way to pick up another call if one comes through.  Instead, GOOGLE sends them a message saying you are unavailable. 

 

When you hang up, you get a notification highlighting the missed call.

 

GOOGLE is expected to also launch Allo, a dedicated text messaging app, in a few weeks.