There is a new "smart" messaging app on the block poised to give sleepless nights to Snapchat, Facebook and more. Meet Google Allo, the AI-powered messaging app that will potentially change the way people communicate.
While Google Allo was announced at the Google I/O in May, the instant messaging mobile app was finally made available starting Sept. 20 for both Android and iOS.
"Whether it's planning a night out or just catching up, we all rely on messaging to stay in touch with friends and loved ones. But too often we have to hit pause on our conversations — whether it's to check the status of a flight or look up that new restaurant. So we created a messaging app that helps you keep your conversation going, by providing assistance when you need it," notes the company in a blog post.
Google Allo will improve and become more responsive over time and the more it is used. What sets Allo apart from existing messaging apps is that it seamlessly integrates Google Search with several popular features used in other messaging apps. So while audio or video call is intentionally missing in Allo, it is still possible to use stickers, start a group chat and even set a message to expire.
Google Allo does not only offer messaging, but the intelligent app can find information, as well as answer queries thanks to the Google assistant functionality.
Allo is a "smart messaging" app because it can learn from conversations and suggests responses over time. Machine learning put to good use, right?
So the next time someone messages "How are you?" Allo will pop-up a suggested response, or a Smart Reply of "Very good," which can be sent by simply tapping on the text bubble.
The suggestions are for the most bit adequate and help save some time; however, they are quite basic and may feel a tad impersonal.
It even responds to pictures, so for instance when a user receives a picture of a baby smiling, Google Allo will throw up a generic response suggestion such as "love that smile."
Responses aside, another cool feature that may have users hooked to Google Allo is incognito chats, which means only the sender and receiver are privy to the conversation. Because the messages are encrypted, anyone attempting to intercept will only see gibberish.
Moreover, when a message is sent in this mode, Google hides the sender's name in the notification alert on the screen. The chat history can also be erased and one needs to merely set an expiration time window, which ranges from five seconds to a week.
Another nifty trick Allo has up its sleeve lets the user doodle on an image before sending it to a friend — similar to what a user can do on Snapchat.
With so many cool features and abilities, the Google Allo mobile messaging app seems set to be a Facebook and Snapchat killer.
Google is now rolling out for both Android and iOS, and may now be downloaded from the Play Store, but the worldwide availability may take a few more days.
