When Google first announced Duo, its new simple video chatting app for Android and iOS at Google I/O, it received a lot of criticism for launching yet another messaging platform. The app was finally released for Android and iOS last week, and despite the negative vibe surrounding the app, it seems to have won people over. 

As revealed by Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, Duo has been downloaded over 5 million times within a week of its launch on Android itself.

Unlike Hangouts that is associated with one’s Google account, Duo ties itself to your phone number and only works on one device. Plus, since there is no web interface for the service, you can only make and receive calls using your registered Android device.

Google Duo now over 5M Android downloads in a week! https://t.co/ctwn131gYq

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) August 25, 2016

Nonetheless, it seems that Duo has won people over with its simplicity. While there are numerous video calling apps available for both iOS and Android, none of them are as simple as Duo. Additionally, Duo’s knock knock feature, which lets the receiver see what the caller is up to before picking the call, is another handy feature that other video calling apps lack. It is likely that the combination of two along with Duo’s ability to work smoothly over spotty data networks has made it a favorite among the less tech-savvy.

How has your experience with Duo been so far?

Download: Google Duo