Google: Today, Google has launched the messaging app – Allo in India. Google went ahead and built a messaging app around the most useful bot, while Facebook has been working to integrate bots with Messenger.
Google – Allo messaging app was announced in May but is now available for download.
There is stickers, group chatting, and the option to let messages expire. The big thing that’s missing is the ability to make audio and video calls, which was intentional.
Google wants users to get on Duo, its dedicated video calling app launched in August.
Both apps are free, available for iOS and Android, and designed to simplify mobile messaging. Google says that they are companion apps.
More details what makes Allo great:
Google is calling Allo a smart messaging app because it learns from your conversations and suggests things for you to say.
During a recent test chat, Allo suggested “Very good!” to a message that read “How are you?” The app also thought we might say “Haha,” “Nice,” or “Yeah,” after we received a message that said “Interesting.” And when we got a picture message of a happy child, Allo suggested saying “Love that smile.”
It’s great for making plans
Using Google inside a chat is one of the best feature of Allo. To do so, mention Google by typing “@Google” and words to search for – like place to eat or things to do. It is a great way to make plans with other people without having to switch between apps or send screenshots of search results.
Google Assistant inside of Allo app is just like a chat bot – one of the much-hyped trends on tech platforms this year. Facebook has made a huge push for this inside its own messaging service, Messenger, but requires you to know which bots you want to talk to.
All messages sent through Allo are encrypted by Google’s servers, but using the “incognito chat” feature secures them at the device level.
That means only the sender and recipient can read the messages. Anyone who tries to intercept them will only see a jumble of characters.
The incognito chat also has some other neat tricks: When someone sends you a message, Google will hide their name in the notification that pops up on your phone. There’s also a way to erase chat history by setting the expiration anywhere from five seconds to one week.
Interestingly, each user can reset the expiration time for any of the messages, so be prepared to wrestle over those decisions depending on how secretive you want chats to be.
You can doodle
Like Snapchat, Allo lets you draw on photos before sending them to friends. There’s also a large selection of sticker packs that you can download to convey that precise feeling of dread or elation.
By holding your finger on the send button on the app, you can choose the font size of your message so that you can “shout.” Think of it as an alternative to using all caps.
The company launched the Allo app in India on Wednesday and will continue to do so globally over the next few days.
The Google Assistant Bot and smart response feature only work in English right now.
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