We are grateful that Duo is helping users see their loved ones all around the world. We recognize group calling is particularly critical right now. We have increased group calling from 8 participants to 12 effective today. More to come. #AllInThisTogether #COVID19 — Sanaz (@sanazahari) March 27, 2020

Last year, Google added group calling to Duo with an eight-party limit, the same as the messaging app Houseparty (now owned by Fortnite creator Epic). Skype, meanwhile, supports up to 50 users on group video calls, while FaceTime supports 32 users, as long as they all have Apple devices. Google's Meet by Hangouts apps supports up to 100 participants, but only if they're G-Suite business users.

The news was tweeted out by Google's communications suite lead Sanaz Ahari Lemelson. "We recognize group calling is particularly critical right now," she wrote. "We have increased group calling from 8 participants to 12 effective today." The update has taken place on the server side, so there's no need to update your mobile app or take any other actions.