Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL; DR
- New code evidence found in the latest Google Play Services update further explains how the new video call streaming feature might work on Android devices.
- The feature will start by allowing the transfer of Google Meet video calls between Android devices in the same device group.
- Google may also add support for other video calling apps in the future.
We’ve been hearing about new cross-device features Google is cooking up for a while now. Now, we’ve found more evidence to suggest that the new Cross-Device Call Forwarding feature might work on connected Android devices.
APK teardowns help predict features that may arrive on the service in the future based on the code in progress. However, it is possible that such anticipated features may not make it to public release.
For context, tipster Assemble Debug previously found references to the “Call Cast” feature in Google Play Services v24.06.12. At the time, it was believed that the feature would allow users to stream video calls to multiple devices.
In our removal of Google Play Services v24-08-12, we found more code evidence that explains how the feature might work. Interestingly, the strings we found in the latest version of Google Play Services refer to the feature as “call transfer”. The actual name, when published by Google, could be completely different.
In any case, the code we uncovered indicates that the ability to transfer video calls from one device to another within the same group of devices will first be supported by the Google Meet app.
Encode
<string name="enrollment_feature_description_call_transfer">Switch between
devices on video calls in apps like Google Meet</string>
<string name="enrollment_feature_explanation_call_transfer">See video calls
across your devices and switch between them;/string>As you can see, the code suggests that users will initially be able to transfer Google Meet video calls from one device to another. Since it mentions “apps like Google Meet,” we can assume that support could be extended to other video calling apps in the future.
Interestingly, Google is now rolling away a new video call button in the Google Phone app. When pressed, invites the person you’re talking to to a Google Meet call. Google may have done this in preparation for the upcoming multi-device call transfer feature.
The Phone by Google app is starting to show a new “video calling” chip during phone calls for some users. Tapping this chip opens a page that allows you to quickly invite the person you’re calling to a Google Meet call.
Meanwhile, “Call Cast” is also mentioned in the code strings of the new Google Play Services update. However, it is marked under a separate category “Call forwarding”. Unlike the code above, it does not list video calls.
Encode
string name="call_switching_feature_footer">Call cast only works with certain apps;/string>
<string name="call_switching_feature_intro">Move calls between this device and other
nearby devices signed in to your Google Account;/string>It’s possible that Call Cast is a separate feature for switching devices during audio calls, but we can’t say for sure right now.
What’s almost certain based on today’s revelation is that Android users should soon be able to transfer Google Meet video calls to their clustered devices that have cross-device services enabled. According to the code, “Devices with the same Google Account can be added to a device group and use cross-device services together.”
It’s still unclear when Google plans to release this and other rumored cross-device features, but they appear to be getting closer to launch.