Despite unveiling its newest smart messaging app dubbed Allo, Google said that it does not have a plan to kill off Hangouts.
Google engineer Erik Kay announced the arrival of Allo during an event at the I/O developers conference earlier this week.
Allo is the Mountain View-based company’s latest offering that integrates the firm’s other existing services, such as Maps, YouTube and Search. Probably the most interesting features of this handy app include its ability to provide “smart replies” and its functionality to allow users to chat with the built-in Google artificial intelligent assistant.
"We're continuing to invest in Hangouts and it will remain a standalone product," a company’s spokesperson told Business Insider, responding to a query with regard to Google’s plan on Hangouts.
For Google, these two messaging apps serve dissimilar purposes in spite of sharing a slew of similarities, such as allowing their users to send out instant messages, photos, funny stickers and emojis.
Hangouts is tied to Google For Work products specifically aimed at business users. It likewise works well with Docs and Gmail. On top of that, the app also comes with desktop support for PC, Mac along with Chrome operating system.
On the other hand, Allo does not necessitate users to have a Gmail account for them to use. Its focus is also on the power of artificial intelligence. Moreover, it can only be used on mobile, particularly on iOS and Android devices.
Google also cites a study claiming that people do not use only one messaging app.
Business Insider says that since Hangouts has already gained user base and is tied to the enterprise, “it would cause more of a hassle to get rid of it than to keep it going.”
This company’s latest move to launch Allo is viewed as its strategy to entice new audiences, especially those that use apps like Facebook’s WhatsApp.
Apple Insider, in the meantime, believes that Google could also be planning two-front attack versus Apple’s iMessage.
As compared with Allo, WhatsApp and iMessage do not offer what's in store in the new app — its AI assistant and smart replies functionalities. Furthermore, Allo features integration with OpenTable for booking restaurants.
What do you think about Google’s move to release a new app? Let us know what is in your mind in the comments section below.
