Google releases Allo chat app powered by Google Assistant
Google is hoping disrupt Facebook’s grasp of the Western chat app market secured via WhatsApp and Messenger, with the release of a rival service called Allo.
Google Allo
Differentiating it from the horde of chat apps fighting WhatsApp and Messenger for dominance however is a focus on intelligence and assistance via the Google Assistant. The major selling point is that users will be able to ask the assistant questions while remaining in the chat, voiding the need to jump around apps.
On this, the Google blog says: “You no longer need to leave a conversation with friends just to grab an address, share your favorite YouTube video, or pick a dinner spot. Just type @google to bring your Assistant into any group chat. And of course, you can also chat one-one-one with your Assistant in Allo.”
Smart reply is another way is looking to expedite conversations – a button that supposedly analyses your previous discussions to provide apt responses to messages and images – best used when there isn’t enough time to issue a full response.
Also channeling the growth of emoji and the revenue-generating power of digital stickers in Asia to make the discussions a more visual experience where each user has “a rich canvas for you to express [themselves]”.
The company dubbed the app “the next chapter in a journey Google has been on for many years to assist people in their everyday lives”.
Unlike WhatsApp, discussions do not receive end-to-end decryption by default, however, an incognito mode is offered to up the privacy afforded in chat.
The Google assistant will reportedly be integrated with more Google products – some what aping Amazon Echo assistant rival Alexa which has saw a widespread release across the UK and Europe last week.