Google Reveals its Messaging App Allo to Compete with Whatsapp

Messaging apps is a domain Google has explored before. Although it wasn’t a successful venture (looking at Hangouts).

Even though you may argue that Hangouts continues to live, its popularity is abysmal.

Google is betting on another similar project, known as Google Allo, which it hopes will let the company become popular with messaging this time around.

Enter Google Allo

Allo is designed to provide a seamless messaging experience without having to hit pause on you conversations.

You may have had to switch apps to check maps or the closest restaurants at several occasions. Allo will remedy that by integrating those features directly into the messaging app.

According to Google blog,

Google Allo can help you make plans, find information, and express yourself more easily in chat. And the more you use it, the more it improves over time.

Google has made it so that it corresponds with AI, potentially making the app improve with time as it learns about how users are utilizing Allo.

There are four major features that Google is showing off with Allo.

Smart reply

If you need to reply quickly to a message, bringing up the keyboard and typing it will take more time compared to just tapping on one of the suggested responses.

smart-reply

Google Allo also suggests responses to pictures and includes emojis in its smart reply responses.

Personal assistant

Earlier we mentioned that you’ll be able to search for the closest restaurants and other information directly from the app without having to switch to a different app.

Well, this is how it works. You only need to write @google followed by a question to get assistance. And that’s it.

You can see it in action below.

google-assistant-google-alloInking and custom stickers

You can add text or draw on pictures before sharing them with a group or with your friends and family. This isn’t something new but it adds a touch of customization and makes everything more convenient.

google-allo-ink

Google collaborated with artists and studios to create 25 custom sticker packs just for Google Allo. It’s very Telegram-like. You won’t be running out of weird stickers any time soon.

Incognito mode

google-allo-incognito

Chrome users out there may recognize this right away. Incognito mode means private mode on Chrome.

In Allo, once you go incognito, all your messages are encrypted with end-to-end encryption. There are also more security features such as self destructing messages (message expiration) and discreet notifications.

Google Allo isn’t out yet but it’s coming soon (within the next few days, says Google) on both, Android and iOS.

Where to Download Allo?

  • Pre-Register for the Android devices here. Or sideload by downloading the apk here.
  • Download for iOS here.

A techie, gamer, and Senior Editor at ProPakistani.


  • Note big thing left out in above review: when you use allo and ask @google for any info, google uses all your known search history, travel info, gmail, etc etc to make recommendations.

    (unless you use incognito)

    if you values your privacy use Signal app, free and private.

    • Of course it does. How else will it provide relevant results. And how does this have anything to do with privacy?

      • Well, like with WhatsApp and Signal and incidentally the incognito mode of Allo, no one but the parties in the conversation can see the messages. That means private messaging.

        For some people, the ability for third parties NOT to read your messages is important, for most people it is not.

    • Had a same thought. First we had simple messaging. Now this.
      Compare it with actual personal assistant. He has alot of info about a person while assisting him. Now these companies have it. They have it all. Our life depends on them.

      I am curious about WhatsApp latest move of using our info for FB. How can they? Coz they announced a few months ago that our messages are E2E encrypted and WhatsApp doesn’t know the content itself!!

      In this matter I can’t help but praise China. They have kept their country isolated. Very less internet traffic comes out from China.

      • 1. Whatsapp shares PHONE NUMBERS with Facebook, not actual message contents. They don’t have any text messages exchanged between people.

        2. China is a BAD BAD BAD example to use, ever. They do not only have their internet isolated, but they ACTIVELY CENSOR content on their own social media sites. Imagine in Pakistan we know about Baldia Fire in Karachi and links with MQM, and we can freely discuss it on Twitter, Facebook etc etc. But if something similar happened in China, no one would ever be able to post about it and link it to government actions. Such contents would be censored by government. Are we better off without Chinese model? I SAY YES

        • I didn’t support Chinese model. I only highlighted the aspect I love about their internet.

          How will fb know my number on whatsapp? If they know beforehand then what is need to exchange it between two apps?

          • They do not know everyone’s numbers and other details. Even though Facebook is the parent company it doesn’t have full access.

      • Telegram is Terrible.

        #1: bad crypto, search online all cryptographers have complained about it
        #2: stores your messages on their server which means if they get hacked or someone grabs your password somehow, they can happily download your chat messages behind your back using tools like telegramcli. your privacy = DEAD

        Seriously, if you use Telegram ask yourself why people like Snowdon and other high risk individuals DO NOT use Telegram.

  • I feel the result of Allo vs WhatsApp battle will be similar to that of Google+ vs Facebook contest earlier. Its not easy to beat the giant like Facebook in communication sector.


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