Google has launched a new smart messaging app to take on the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The app comes with features like Google Assistant, incognito mode among others.
Google has today launched its ‘Allo’ smart messaging app, after having unveiled it at I/O 2016 earlier this year. The Allo app has been launched about a month after Google rolled out the Duo video chatting app. With Allo, Google is essentially taking on the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger by using AI to make the messaging app smarter.
Allo doesn’t really replace the Hangouts chatting app, but is a standalone app that is deeply integrated with Google Assistant. The company has said that the likes of Duo and Allo are more consumer-centric apps, while Hangouts is focused more at enterprises. Google Allo brings in a host of other features like WhisperShout, Ink, end-to-end encryption, and incognito mode among others. One of the talking points however is the app’s smart capabilities. When chatting, the AI monitors the topic of conversation and suggests replies that can be sent with just a tap. Google also says that the app’s image recognition system is nearly 90 percent accurate, and the app will also prompt replies based on the image shared by your friend. So for example, if your friend sends a photo of a dog or a baby, the app will suggest replies like ‘So cute’ and more.
The integration with Google Assistant is another of the app’s highlights, which basically lets you search for something within the app itself. For example, if you are chatting about having Italian dinner, Google Assistant will show up restaurant options. All this can be done by simply typing ‘@google’. This feature is really helpful as it takes away the need to switch between apps.
The WhisperShout feature, as the name suggests, lets users change the size of the text in order to express their emotions better. When you type a word, there is a slider on the right side that lets you drag a finger up or down to increase or decrease the size of the text. The other feature Ink seems inspired by Snapchat and lets users doodle over photos.
One of the best features of Allo is that it doesn’t require you to use your Google account to sign up to use the app. All you need is the phone number, and you are ready to start using the app. Allo is also big on security and comes with end-to-end encryption. But the encryption seems to only work when chatting in incognito mode. Like the Google Chrome browser, this mode lets you have a private chat with your friends, and all the messages will be deleted after you exit the chat. The incognito mode also comes with private notifications. You can head over to the Google Play Store or the App Store to download the Allo app for free
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