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]
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]
93 comments
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
32 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
32 months ago
Definitely not using this.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-message-logs-google
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-message-logs-google
Safari in the iOS 12.2 beta and Safari 12.1 for macOS High Sierra and Mojave includes an updated version of Intelligent Tracking Prevention, according to details shared on Apple's WebKit blog.
...
The so-called "Apple Car" may not be a car after all, but rather an electric van, according to German site Manager Magazin.
LiDAR-equipped Apple Maps vehicle in 2015
The report,...
Apple and investment bank Goldman Sachs plan to launch a joint credit card later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report claims the card will be rolled out to Apple...
Apple Music vice president Oliver Schusser spoke with German blog Macerkopf this week, revealing that European developers have now earned over $25 billion from the App Store since its inception...
Apple recorded its biggest decline in iPhone sales for almost three years over the holiday quarter, according to new market research data by Gartner.
Apple sold 64 million iPhones in...
Fast Company today published its annual rankings of the 50 most innovative companies in the world, with Apple dropping from 2018's top spot to 17th place this year.
According to the...
macOS, the operating system that runs on Apple's Macs, has tons of hidden shortcuts, keyboard commands, and features that have gone under the radar. In our latest video over on our YouTube...
Apple today released a white paper outlining its self-driving car testing procedures as required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [PDF via CNET].
The short seven-page...
