With people confined to home to help reduce the spread of coronavirus, many are turning to video calling apps to stay in touch with friends and family.

Google Duo has boosted the experience on its own video app, by increasing support for groups to 12 participants. That means you can talk to more people on a call, get more people involved and make sure that no one is left out.

Google Duo is an attractive option for video calling for many people, not least because it's free and cross-platform, meaning you're not restricted to the device that you can use it on - which is the case for Apple's FaceTime.

There are a wide range of video calling options for those wanting to keep in touch using their phone, tablet or PC and that's lead to a boom in apps like Houseparty and Zoom, seeing these platforms deployed in ways that might have seemed unimaginable just a few months ago.

With lockdown expected to continue for a number of month as COVID-19 continues its rampage around the globe, we're expecting to see a continued growth in video calling both for business, pleasure, dating from home and a whole lot more. 

What's reassuring for many people is that technology is there to fill a social void in these unprecedented times, as we're all asked to stay at home to stay safe.