Duo

Founder's note

Why I'm building Duo

me, mid-bug

September 2026

Hey,

Duo started with a group of friends who kept saying "we should call more" and never did. Calls felt like meetings — someone had to schedule them, and half the time someone was busy. The group chat was the opposite: always on, but mostly memes and read receipts.

What I missed was the feeling of being in the same room. You say something out loud, and whoever's around answers. No invite, no ringing, no pressure.

So I started building a walkie-talkie for that group. A nudge when you want to talk. Push to talk when someone's around. Chat for everything else. That's still the whole idea.

Duo is being built by a very small team — for a long time, just me — mostly late at night, and tested on the same friends who complained the loudest. Every feature has to earn its place by getting that group to talk a little more.

If you're reading this, you're early. Thank you for trying it. If something breaks, feels off, or you just want to tell me how your group uses it, write to me. I read everything.

Talk soon,

Shivansh Founder, Duo

Work in progress

How Duo is being built

No big team, no big office. Here's the honest version, straight from the build log.

  1. The spark

    A group chat that never turned into a call

    Every plan to "hop on a call" died in the chat. The idea was simple: make talking as easy as sending a message, without the weight of a phone call.

    codename: one-one. the repo is still called that.
  2. Sketches

    Paper first, code later

    Before any code, the nudge button got drawn over and over. It had to feel like tapping a friend on the shoulder, not like ringing their phone.

    nudge button, v1
  3. First build

    Two phones, one desk, push to talk

    The first working version was two phones side by side, talking to each other. Most of that month went into shaving off delay so the voice felt live, not like a voice note.

    2am. talking to myself. it worked.
    first live test
  4. Friends & family

    Handing it to the loudest critics

    The first testers were friends who don't hold back. Their biggest note: a nudge has to land even when the app is closed. That one piece of feedback rewired how the whole app works.

  5. Now

    Out on Google Play, still small

    Duo is live and growing one friend group at a time. Every week: read feedback, fix what's broken, ship something small.

Real moments

From the groups using Duo

Duo is built for the people you already talk to. Here's how some of them use it.

"We had a 'call?' message that sat unanswered for hours. Now someone nudges and whoever's free just hops on. Closest thing to our hostel corridor since graduating."
RiyaCollege group · 5 friends
"My parents aren't texters. A nudge and a quick 'hello?' on the mic is just easier for them than typing. They use it more than I do now."
ArjunFamily group · 4 people
"We keep Duo open while working from different cities. Most days it's quiet, but when someone says 'hey, quick one', it feels like sharing a desk again."
MeeraOld office crew · 7 friends

Scrapbook

From the desk

Photos and scraps from the build. More get pinned here as Duo grows.

whiteboard, week one
testing audio at 2am
the group that started it
sticker drafts

Optional

Keep the mic on

Duo is free, and the core of it will stay free. If it's earned a spot in your group's day and you feel like chipping in, it helps cover servers and late-night coffee.

No perks, no pressure. Using Duo and telling one friend about it helps just as much.

Buy me a coffee One-time or monthly, any amount Coming soon

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