Google has launched Allo, its new intelligent messaging app. Allo combines now-standard messaging features like stickers, changing font sizes and marked-up photos with Google Assistant, an intelligent chat AI that brings Google's services to your conversations, and Smart Reply.


Google Assistant comes in two forms. The first form is a one-on-one chat in which you can request information from Google's services, similar to Google Now. Users can find out sports scores, the weather, search for restaurants, check travel time or flight status, and more.

The second form is within your conversations. Google Assistant can be brought into chats by tagging the service in a message line and issuing a command. For example, a user can type "@google show me local burrito places" and Google Assistant will show you local burrito places. Users can also bring in other forms of information, like Google Search, Images and YouTube results. However, Google points out that Google Assistant is in "preview edition" and isn't complete. To help improve Assistant, users can submit real-time feedback with conversations.

Allo also comes with a feature called Smart Reply. The app can learn your texting habits and suggest quick replies for more basic communication. Allo can, for instance, learn whether you're more prone to using "lol" or "haha," or whether you like to say "sup?" or "hey how's it going." Once it figures out your reply patterns, it can suggest basic responses. Smart Reply can also adjust to how you respond to certain people. As BuzzFeed notes, it can change its suggestions based on whether you're talking to your wife or boss.

Google stores the chat data on its servers, but has also extended its Incognito private mode to Allo. Incognito mode comes with end-to-end encryption and self-destructing chats. Users can set time limits for their messages, setting them to self-destruct after 10 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, an hour, a day, or longer (via The Verge).

Allo is only available for iPhones and Android phones and, like WhatsApp, uses a phone number for registration. The app is currently rolling out and propagating through Apple's App Store services. Allo was first announced in May, at Google's annual I/O event alongside Android Nougat, Android Wear 2.0, and Duo.

Allo is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Google, Allo

Top Rated Comments

1041958 Avatar
98 months ago
Allo, Duo, Spaces, Hangouts and Messenger. Oh, and messaging in YouTube.

Come on, Google, you can do better. Just a few more and you can claim to have 10 overlapping communication tools.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ballis Avatar
98 months ago
Yay. More third party messaging apps....
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacBAir Avatar
98 months ago
The only advantage of iMessage is privacy however that might not be 100% true anyway.. the app looks much nicer than iMessage, might definitely give it a try!
Lol iMessage is actually a fantastic service that people actually use. Better privacy and encryption, SMS integration and an actual relevant userbase means that this new Google service is DOA and will never be as relevant, useful and valuable as iMessage.

OTOH, for cross platform communications, Facebook (whatsapp, Messenger) guarantees that Google will release nothing more than another failure, just like all of their ideas, products and apps from the last 7 to 8 years.

You can shove down people's throats, but even hangouts, with its 1 billion+ installations, is a total turd and no one cares, besides the same people that would use G+. And no one cares about those people, too.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Paradoxally Avatar
98 months ago
And in typical Google fashion, I'm willing to bet the app will be better on iOS than Android.

Also, this looks much cleaner than that mess Apple calls iMessage.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WhackyNinja Avatar
98 months ago
When your Android buddies have the APK and downloaded Allo already but you have iOS and have to wait for it to go live on the App Store


Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
98 months ago
Two things I like Apple to do (but probably never will) is to merge iMessage and FaceTime into one App and release it on Android, believe me, plenty of people on Android would move away from Google's crap (except of course android itself/GMaps/GSearch) and other messaging Apps.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...