
Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app - mikeevans
https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/google-allo-smarter-messaging-app.html
======
TuringNYC
Not sure how common this is, but everyone at both school and work these days
shifts seamlessly from mobile to dekstop and back. This has been one of the
main reasons we tend to use WhatsApp and Slack, even for corporate
communications as silly as that sounds -- because you can type long messages
on it on the keyboard/desktop but also have access to it on the go.

What I don't understand is -- given Allo had a blank slate, why did they limit
it to just mobile? They cover two major silos (Android + iOS), (one reason we
dont use iMsg) but why not the third silo (non-mobile)?

~~~
soylentcola
This is exactly why so many of my friends and family use Hangouts née Gmail
Chat.

We can use it in the browser at work just by keeping Gmail open in a tab. No
IM applications to install or concerns about whether we're running Windows,
OSX, or whatever.

Then the conversations follow when you log off whatever desktop or laptop
you're on via the mobile app. About half of us use Android so it either comes
standard or you can easily install. The other half uses iOS and unlike
iMessage/iChat/Facetime, you can easily use it on iOS as well as Android.

I installed Allo today but so far I haven't had a chance to try it out.
Frankly it gives me the same mild annoyance I felt when Facebook broke
messaging out into a separate app (and when I just said screw it and
uninstalled both).

As much as I use and generally like Google stuff, they drive me nuts with
their approach a lot of the time. When GChat/Talk became Hangouts and started
integrating Voice and SMS/MMS, it seemed like a move in the right direction,
both for them as a company (wanting to be your one stop shop for messaging)
and for me as a user (less apps, more seamless integration). Then SMS/MMS was
split back off into Messaging, Voice...I haven't really heard much about Voice
in a while which is weird because it was one of those things that seemed so
promising at one point. And now Duo alongside the pretty great video chat
already in Hangouts and Allo alongside Messaging alongside Hangouts.

I get the idea of maybe starting a secondary platform/service/app to see what
sticks and what doesn't. At worst they can integrate the good bits into their
main product (see: Inbox). But their messaging strategy seems more like
publishing Inbox with the intention of just ditching plain old Gmail.

~~~
calinet6
My lord, why isn't Allo just Hangouts 3? They had an established userbase, a
name, a brand, and useful cross-platform tools already.

I get the desire to start fresh, but that's a lot of established traction in a
very crowded market to just throw away.

~~~
random42
> why isn't Allo just Hangouts 3?

I was wondering that too. I _honestly_ suspect some executive in Google's team
wanted to have more visibility, team and power.

~~~
djsumdog
oh I thought this was some new Hangouts interface, but it's not is it?

So...Google Buzz.

If they want something really innovative, bring back open standards and a
federated IM protocol. We went from AIM/Yahoo/MSN to XMPP .. and back to
Google/FB. It feels like a regression.

~~~
tw04
XMPP was just to crack the egg. They had to dangle a big enough carrot to get
users to switch. They knew once they had them switched that it would be VERY
unlikely users would go back. So... lockdown! And they were right, how many
people have switched back to AOL/MSN/Yahoo? I know I haven't.

~~~
corobo
I switched to FB Messenger because it's on mobile and desktop, and everyone I
talk to is there. If MSN wasn't dead I'd probably still be using that.

Edit: Oh and more recently Discord has taken over my friend group's urge to
talk with voices.

~~~
DanTheManPR
If only FB would release a proper desktop client for their messaging services.
They could own that space.

~~~
corobo
I use messenger.com more often than I use Facebook at this point. I know it's
not technically a desktop app but you could probably set up a shortcut with
something like (assuming chrome. Don't know if FF has the same feature)

"path\to\chrome\chrome.exe"
\--app=[https://www.messenger.com](https://www.messenger.com)

Edit: Actually testing that, that's actually pretty neat. I'm going to do that
when I get home!

~~~
drroboto
I use franz [http://meetfranz.com/](http://meetfranz.com/) specifically for
that purpose

------
jotux
So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with
overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts
work really well.

~~~
whack
There was a NYtimes article a few years ago, which I thought perfectly
captured the fundamental difference between Apple and Google's product
planning process.

Apple runs on Intelligent Design. You have a room full of geniuses who decide
what to build, make sure it fits perfectly into their overall product
portfolio with minimal overlap or cannibalization, spend years in a dark
secret room building it until it's perfectly polished, and then do a big-bang
launch.

Google on the other hand, runs on evolution. You've got tens of thousands of
smart people all over the company, each with their own cool ideas and visions.
Director #1 decides it would be cool to have a single unified messaging/video
app that works across all platforms; Director #2 decides it would be cool to
have a messaging app that's perfectly customized for mobile phones and Random-
Guy #3 decides to do a 20℅ project on a messaging app that integrates AI
functionality. Instead of trying to pick a winner, and telling everyone else
to abandon their projects, Google allows all 3 visions to play themselves out
on a small scale, and then doubles down on the winner. Rather than having a
perfect product portfolio like Apple, Google is almost like an incubator, full
of interesting ideas and projects, even if they lack the structure that comes
with Central Planning.

The downside of course, is brand confusion and dilution. People looking for a
messaging app, and not having the time to explore all options thoroughly, will
have a hard time figuring out which Google-messaging-app to go with. If they
pick a non-optimal one, it's going to hurt the Google brand in their eyes. But
the upside is innovation. Allowing multiple ideas to play themselves out at
the same time, allows for so much more innovation, experimentation and
iteration. And ultimately, I think those are the qualities that Google wants
to prioritize.

~~~
danohu
The Google approach would be great, if they just separated it from the Google
brand.

Like, when Unilever launch a new detergent, they give it a totally separate
brand. If it fails, they drop it quietly, and if it succeeds they can roll it
out worldwide.

I wish Google would do the same. Launch this as 'allo', with the fact that
it's from alphabet buried in the small print. Once it's been doing well for a
couple of years, they can think about pulling it into the Google brand and
pushing it to every user in the world.

~~~
paulryanrogers
Without brand it's hard to stand out in the crowded messaging space.

~~~
rubber_duck
Honestly crap like this is devaluing their brand. At this point I have 0 faith
that Google will stick to any of their random products (Google Wave, Buzz,
Reader, Code, Google+) and therefore I avoid using them.

~~~
fzzzy
It really is devaluing the brand. Bring back Google Talk.

~~~
degenerate
Google Talk was perfect. PER-FECT. Of course they killed it!

~~~
theshrike79
They didn't even properly kill it, they just let it slowly stagnate.

Like they're doing with Hangouts now. No real new features have appeared in
years.

------
chias
I really wish they wouldn't overload terms that they themselves invented. In
Chrome, "incognito" means we don't save your local history, but it _does_
_not_ add to the transport security. Here, "incognito" means you've got end-
to-end encryption (and presumably also doesn't save local history).

Why on earth would you re-use the same term when naming two things with
similar (thus easily confused) consumer-visible attributes but completely
different security guarantees?!

~~~
dovdov
End-to-end encryption from your phone to Google's server, where neural
networks now analyze all your data, Super cute! Lovely Labrador!

~~~
jjcm
From their FAQ:

"Your chats are end-to-end encrypted and can only be seen by you and the
person you're chatting with. Google can't read any of your messages, so you
won't see any Smart Reply or Google Assistant features."

[https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6383724?ref_topic=637...](https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6383724?ref_topic=6376094&hl=)

~~~
pjmlp
Who validates that that statement is indeed true, we in our naivety should
just plain believe it?

~~~
matt4077
As much as people like a good conspiracy, that would be a pretty pointless
one. There are tens of thousands people at google who could look at the source
code, many of them with a left-wing/civil liberties attitude.

To get all of them to stay silent, and to evade analysis of the binary is, if
not impossible, simply not worth whatever they could get out of reading my
messages (esp. considering their uninterrupted stream of emails to read).

It's also why the concept of "brands" makes more sense than may are willing to
admit: a blatant lie such as this would probably be worse for google than VWs
little problem. Reading someone's private stuff is just bound to rouse more
emotions than whatever comes out of the back of your car.

~~~
pjmlp
Yeah right.

[http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-
mess...](http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-message-logs-
google)

"Allo messages will still be encrypted between the device and Google servers,
and stored on servers using encryption that leaves the messages accessible to
Google’s algorithms."

[....]

"The decision will also have significant consequences for law enforcement
access to Allo messages. By default, Allo messages will now be accessible to
lawful warrant requests, the same as message data in Gmail and Hangouts and
location data collected by Android. "

~~~
pyre
> The version of Allo rolling out today will store all non-incognito messages
> by default — a clear change from Google’s earlier statements that the app
> would only store messages transiently and in non-identifiable form. The
> records will now persist until the user actively deletes them, giving Google
> default access to a full history of conversations in the app. Users can also
> avoid the logging by using Allo’s Incognito Mode, which is still fully end-
> to-end encrypted and unchanged from the initial announcement.

> Like Hangouts and Gmail, Allo messages will still be encrypted between the
> device and Google servers, and stored on servers using encryption that
> leaves the messages accessible to Google’s algorithms.

Translation:

\- Incognito messages will not be logged, and will be encrypted end-to-end.

\- Non-incognito messages will transit over SSL, and be stored on Google's
servers in an encrypted form that they will have access to (presumably this
"encryption" is to prevent hackers gaining a DB dump from getting everything
in plaintext).

\- Non-incognito messages will be logged indefinitely, unless a user
explicitly deletes them. (This is a change from what was previously announced
at Google I/O)

Correct me if I'm missing something.

------
wanda
Lots of speculation about how long these apps will last. I personally suspect
it's Hangouts that will be chopped. Google looked at Facebook Messenger and
realised that the future was in personal assistants and the illusion of
virtual/simulated AI, and realised also that Hangouts would become an
unmanageable mess with more features added, so they are rolling out a
Messenger competitor and a Hangouts video replacement with a transitional
period to assess both feasibility, interest and to enable Hangouts customers
to explore alternatives ahead of the shutdown, while attracting new business
along the way.

Personally, I like Duo because I can talk to my partner with video even though
my partner is on Android and is a bit of a technophobe.

The almost-too-simple UI is much easier for my partner to use than Hangouts,
and Skype is a dog. I also do not use Facebook.

Google, like Apple now, and like Microsoft before it, is playing catch-up to
Facebook and arguably has been since Google+. It's like Hollywood: remakes are
far from innovative and are loathed by many who liked the originals or who
crave fresh material, but a remake is much easier to get through the boardroom
and easier to make profitable. Google should be pushing the boundaries but
it's afraid of tarnishing its credibility with potentially bad decisions. They
also want to appear active I suppose, and to collect what data they can from
people who are likely to be loyal to a Google competitor to Facebook.

I think Google should be thinking doing more than buying up tech talent in
acquihires and inflating an already bloated app ecosystem that threatens what
business they already have, but I'm not a business person.

~~~
lost_name
I believe they've previously discussed Hangouts becoming business focused.
Allo, I think, has the potential to replace the default SMS app (similar to
iMessage).

~~~
nameless912
Maybe, if they get rid of this boneheaded SMS relay bullshit. It's not 2008
anymore, iMessage got transparent SMS<->internet messaging right like 4 years
ago.

------
Waterluvian
Why isn't it always end to end encryption? I'm getting really paranoid and
crochety in my old age of 29, as all I see is a tool to make me the product.

~~~
jmolinaso
I'm back from that paranoia period, my conclusions:

\- In real life you have no privacy, but still you don't think about it (white
pages, community hall inscriptions, driving license, medical history, ...),
apart of white pages try to unsubscribe from any of them and see what happens.
Internet made it just easier to track you.

\- your safety is based on 2 things your habits and the peers that know you
and are willing to lend a hand (family, neighbors, friends ...)

\- what makes me feel secure about Google tools, is his business model, if
they have a breach and expose people's data, they simply bankrupt, so their
business relays heavily in security. (as soon as you enable 2 time factor, it
becomes incredible difficult to hack you)

\- what I don't like of them, they are in EEUU soil and I'm European, so I
don't know if I could eventually get into trouble (like is happening in
Facebook, they simply don't listen to European cases about cyberbulling,
something I didn't read yet from Google, maybe because they are not so
popular, maybe because they are truly Not Evil).

\- so yes, I'm a product, and it also unlocks me to easily backup and access
my family photos, that I can share via chromecast, or get my mails free from
non nice spam and eventually find nice new products and know that I can click
without exposing myself too much.

\- I do have kids, and what comforts me, I can delegate to Google the block of
certain images/sites thanks to their advance AI, still is not perfect so by
the time they start, I'll also keep an eye. It is different to explain
something bad that he just accidentally found, that place them out of his way
until he has the age to understand it.

\- and don't get started with the zero days exploits, the wrong architecture
of some open source apps, and even the abandonware you have out there for
free.

At the end, you need to trade something because one person alone can't get
everything, and trust between peers is essential. And money made that trust
easy, don't trust people, trust that they want the money :)

~~~
silverbln
_In real life you have no privacy_ Please remove all locks from your doors and
give me your address so I can watch you and whole family 24/7\. Privacy starts
at home. It exists.

 _so yes, I 'm a product, and it also unlocks me to easily backup and access
my family photos, that I can share via chromecast, or get my mails free from
non nice spam and eventually find nice new products and know that I can click
without exposing myself too much._ With all their services google gets to know
most of your thoughts. You don't care. It's okay, I don't blame you. But
please do not tell others "there is no privacy" just because you threw yours
away for some services that make your life a bit more comfortable.

 _maybe because they are truly Not Evil_

'You have to fight for your privacy or you will lose it' \- Eric Schmidt. We
(meaning mostly you) lost it a long time ago already. They sometimes show
their evil face - you just don't remember/know/care.

 _delegate to Google the block of certain images /sites thanks to their
advance AI_ This is kinda 1984 7.0 - just wait for them enabling it for
everyone. Page ranks can/could decide elections already - do you really want
them having so much power over everyone? Just because their search results are
a bit better (read: personalised) than duckduckgo/etc. ? I sometimes really
understand the need for russian/chinese firewalls. Even Canada (reminder:
member of the 5 eyes) refuses to send their country-internal internet traffic
through the USA even it would be cheaper and faster at the same time. It's
forbidden by law.

 _At the end, you need to trade something because one person alone can 't get
everything, and trust between peers is essential. And money made that trust
easy, don't trust people, trust that they want the money :)_ In my eyes, you
trade away far more than they give you.

~~~
jmolinaso
Well, one of my habits is to keep those locks and avoid giving the address
unless is really necessary. Certainly you can eventually find where I live and
pay a visit, but I can ask you politely to leave or call the cops on you if
your intentions are hostile, otherwise we can go to a neutral place, have a
nice beer and chat about the topic. I see you mix privacy with security,
please don't ;-)

Your second point is quite vast to reply here, but one example: think one
second of a daughter that she wants to find her favorite princess in the
internet without filter you find quite some porn actress with those names, and
because are popular ... paaaam first place. Now how I explain to an infant
what those girls are doing, wouldn't be easier to wait until she gets the
maturity and I can explain better?

The last point, is my opinion nothing more. Is always a trade, it depends how
much you will trade.

------
mstade
You know what I really need? A new messaging app, so people can complain more
about me not using whatever messaging app they're using.

I'm not saying that email and sms/mms don't have flaws, but at least I don't
have to consider whether the recipient of my message has whatever random app
is popular today. Have we seen the end of wide spread open protocols, because
huge tech corporations are hell bent on controlling communications?

~~~
kodt
I can see how these apps can take off with kids, who are in school and see
each-other every day.. so there can be some coordination on what app to use.

But for me, I don't see how I could use anything other than email/sms and
expect someone else to use it.

~~~
CaptSpify
I think kids too, aren't tired: I've probably tried >50 messaging systems,
from irc to aim to msn messenger to hangouts. After a while, you just get
tired of trying rehashes of the same thing, and want one that communicates
with everyone. We had things like Pigeon, but companies keep closing off their
systems to force you to have one app/program per system.

Eventually you get tired of trying new ones, and just go back to the reliable
ones that work with everybody.

~~~
nameless912
> irc

Man, why can't we just use IRC? It's as close to perfect as anything has ever
gotten.

------
putlake
I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. It's a great cross-
platform video chat app. I especially like the feature where you can see the
other party before you answer their call. I have taken calls because of that
feature that I otherwise wouldn't have.

It's better than FaceTime because it works on Android. It's better than Skype
and Google Hangouts because your cellphone number is your identity; you don't
have to log in with any usernames or passwords. Extremely low friction.

~~~
rtpg
I think there are other reasons, but I really dislike using my phone number as
an ID.

Phone numbers are much harder to change , so if some annoying person gets a
hold of it suddenly they can harass me across networks. This is a thing that
actually happens! A big reason why I don't like telegram (even if everything
else is awesome).

I'm cool with my account being linked to a phone number, but I'd rather avoid
giving the phone number to people I want to talk to (instead handing out a
network-specific username)

~~~
Nullabillity
IIRC, Telegram allows you to set a username and give that out instead.

~~~
largote
But you can still be nagged if someone finds your phone number.

------
evincarofautumn
Chat apps are like to-do apps. They’re easy to make (albeit hard to make well)
and you rarely have a strong reason to choose one over another, so you’ll
probably stick with whatever you (and your friends) are already using.

Besides, if I take up Allo and fall in love with it, I’ll be sad when it
disappears after Google stops supporting it in a few years. These features
should be integrated into Hangouts, else they’re dividing their own market.
Though, ironically, if everyone with this sentiment went against their gut
reaction and adopted Allo anyway, then Google would be forced to support it,
as they do Gmail.

~~~
disillusioned
They'll just roll Assistant/other Allo features back into Hangouts, where all
their users are. Unless they kick us all out by sunsetting Hangouts for non-
Apps users.

------
headmelted
Boo.

All the shiny bells-and-whistles in the world aren't going to cover the fact
that this should be end-to-end by default.

I suspect at least some of the folks working on it feel this way too, so I
imagine it's really shitty for some of them to have it work this way. If
WhatsApp is already end-to-end by default there's no reason at all that a new
app trying to enter that already saturated space shouldn't be.

Sincerely, I hope this fails quickly.

My grumpy old ass will stay on Signal thanks very much.

~~~
nanny
If it were end-to-end encrypted by default, how would Google Assistant work?

~~~
headmelted
Oh it definitely wouldn't.

I'd be fine with this though as, admittedly cynically, I suspect that
Assistant's main reason for existing is to provide a justification for the
lack of encryption.

------
0xmohit
Open Whisper Systems partners with Google on end-to-end encryption for Allo.

[https://whispersystems.org/blog/allo/](https://whispersystems.org/blog/allo/)

~~~
headmelted
Dare I say that I'm actually a little disappointed by this?

I get where Moxie is coming from, and that he doesn't have the PR machinery
that Facebook and Google do to really push Signal to the mainstream, but these
are advertising companies.

When OWS takes this work on they're giving a tacit Moxie stamp of approval to
the implementation, that could well change after OWS has moved on to other
things.

tldr; History tells me not to trust these companies motives in the long term,
and I don't see why Moxie should either.

~~~
nzp
> When OWS takes this work on they're giving a tacit Moxie stamp of approval
> to the implementation

Which is completely irrelevant for any mainstream messaging app OWS has
collaborated with. No “normal” person on this planet that uses these apps
knows or cares about who Moxie is.

> tldr; History tells me not to trust these companies motives in the long
> term, and I don't see why Moxie should either.

I doubt he does, but his goal with all this is to end passive mass
surveillance, and he obviously thinks this is the best shot. I mean, Signal
the app is certainly not going to become a significant player in this space,
so we can debate if he's doing the right thing but I can totally see the how
he can justify it even if he doesn't really trust them.

------
sorenjan
I don't know of any other company that has discontinued as many products
people actually used. Sorry Google, even if I didn't already have several chat
apps and even if I didn't prefer to type on a real keyboard I still couldn't
recommend your new products to friends and family. I just don't trust you
anymore.

~~~
degenerate
RIP Google Talk, February 16, 2015. This was the end for me.

------
shmerl
Google should open up their protocols, or use open ones. It's quite sad that
Google of the past (which supported XMPP) is gone.

~~~
kyrra
Google shut down XMPP support because none of the other large vendors were
playing along. Because of how XMPP federation work, Microsoft could reach out
to Google for presence and other information about friends, but didn't need to
return the favor (they were doing one way federation). So it allowed for a
"better" experience using other companies XMPP networks.

Edit: Source for my beliefs on the above:
[http://www.ucstrategies.com/unified-communications-
strategie...](http://www.ucstrategies.com/unified-communications-strategies-
views/betting-on-xmpp.aspx)

Edit 2: removed Facebook as an offender. It was just Microsoft that was not
sharing.

~~~
kuschku
Facebook did provide XMPP service until the same time that Google ended it.

So that’s definitely a wrong statement.

~~~
catdog
> Facebook did provide XMPP service until the same time that Google ended it.

They never supported federation.

~~~
kuschku
They did support client-server federation, but not server-server federation.

~~~
catdog
Whats "client-server" federation? Only the fact that you are able to connect
via an openly specified protocol or is there more to it?

~~~
kuschku
And that they properly handled protocol extensions, etc.

Which in turn allowed you to use XMPP bridges, that pretended to be an XMPP
client on one server, but were federated to another server.

------
VeejayRampay
Really waiting for the day where Google will accidentally release a new
messaging app called Google Hangouts or some other name that they already use,
because there are just so many it's impossible to keep track.

------
colemickens
Google's Duo/Allo strategy is the final straw after adopting Google Voice like
10 years and hoping that eventually Hangouts would not a pile of crap.

Beside the limbo that this leaves Hangouts in, Allo and Duo have no
web/desktop client, which is where I do 90% of my messaging. I've made too
many excuses and put up with half-assed experiences for the past 5-10 years.
Unfortunately, my options are probably Facebook messaging or raw SMS.

Meanwhile Riot/Matrix have all of the functionality of
Slack/Skype/Hangouts/etc, is open source, is federated, etc... and no one
seems to care...

(Not to mention that I still can't even download Allo if I try...)

------
binoyxj
Rolling out in India
[https://twitter.com/juberti/status/778453572035878912](https://twitter.com/juberti/status/778453572035878912)
If you can't wait, here's the APK [http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-
inc/allo-by-google/allo-...](http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/allo-by-
google/allo-by-google-1-0-006_rc18-release/)

------
AceJohnny2
So. Why make this a separate app? Why isn't this in Hangouts?

~~~
prdonahue
Because Hangouts is a bloated POS? Everyone I know who works for Google states
this (and I can concur from using it at work).

~~~
colemickens
How on earth is hangouts "bloated"? It's a friggin IM app with video calling
built in. It's far more minimal than most other "alternative" IM clients.

~~~
tdfx
I don't know why it's "bloated", but after a few minutes of video chat it's
got my computer sounding like a jetliner preparing for takeoff.

------
scottmf
The technology behind the feature is great, don't get me wrong. But there's
something so empty about the Labrador response.

I want a discussion with a human. Not a human-curated conversation of
algorithm-determined responses.

Simple human conversation isn't as much of a problem-to-be-solved as they seem
to think it is.

~~~
dkarapetyan
This falls in an interesting uncanny valley. If you know the person on the
other end is using allo who are you really talking to? The average google bot
response powered by deepmind or the actual person on the other end?

~~~
em500
Reminds me of when Facebook got slammed about their auto-happy-birthday
feature:
[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/29/facebook-...](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/29/facebook-
happy-birthday-sms-notification)

~~~
scottmf
That's a good comparison and I'd expect similar user backlash here.

I'm confused as to why they're choosing to lead with this feature.

------
tdkl
If I'm bound to switch to something and bring friends to it, I'll rather do it
with Wire[1], without any Google surveillance and data mining for "ad
experience". It has a desktop client (electron based though) and isn't limited
to 1 device. Not to mention E2E encryption ALL the time.

[1] [https://wire.com/](https://wire.com/)

~~~
MekaiGS
How does this company plan to make money from this? I tried to browse through
all the pages and I am not seeing it.

~~~
tdkl
They're VC backed and plan a premium subscription sometime in the future. All
of the current features will stay free. I think I've read it on their medium
comment section or it's in the FAQ.

------
sunnyps
This has SMS fallback!

[https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6376011](https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6376011)

~~~
rspeer
Does it work with MMS, like Hangouts usually doesn't?

~~~
tdkl
Nope. It's more or less glorified invite message over a service, that also
receives replies from SMS. But since it doesn't show as sent from your mobile
number, the receiver will have a separate thread in their SMS application.

[http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/09/20/allo-weird-sms-
expla...](http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/09/20/allo-weird-sms-explained-
other-answers/)

~~~
rspeer
...so if I used Google Allo, I would still need to also use Google Messenger
for MMS conversations and Facebook Messenger for conversations with less-nerdy
people.

The only thing Allo seems to have going for it is that it's not another blue
speech bubble icon labeled "Messenger".

~~~
tdkl
Basically, yeah. If we overlook everything, all that Allo offers is the Google
Assistant and that's probably what they wanted - fresh set of data.

------
20andup
I don't know about you guys, but I am quite sick of these messaging apps that
don't really provide any added-value over their competitors. Moreover, these
message apps are not decentralize nor are these companies altruistic, so it
quite easy to conclude that these companies wants your data.

------
willow9886
Interesting that another trending story on HN contradicts google's post wrt
the privacy features included in allo:

[http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-
mess...](http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-message-logs-
google)

I had a feeling Google's representation of their respect for user privacy was
too good to be true. Clearly they only have an interest in marketing privacy,
as opposed to actually delivering effective privacy controlling tools and
features.

------
amelius
Can't we just agree on one standard already? I hate having to use multiple
messaging apps, that's the biggest UX failure right there, and it desperately
needs fixing! Forget about all the other features!

~~~
oddvar
agreed! This is what we're trying to do with Matrix
([https://matrix.org](https://matrix.org))

~~~
anentropic
I couldn't easily tell what it is from reading the homepage

~~~
Arathorn
we're about to rewrite the homepage to fix that :) (i work on matrix,
obviously)

~~~
arbitrage
So ... what does it do?

------
helthanatos
>We can’t wait for you to say hello to Google Allo! We’re beginning to roll
out Google Allo for Android and iOS, and the app will be available worldwide
in the next few days.

I wonder if they are doing this because they expect issues or if they expect
everyone to want the app. Personally, I just wish the stock Android messenger
could communicate better with imessage group chats.

~~~
yincrash
Without a valid macOS/iOS device key, it's not possible. The key allows your
device to publish iMessage signing keys to the Apple directory service that
recipient devices use to decrypt your iMessages. Without a device key, your
device won't be able to do this.

~~~
jjcm
Is it possible to harvest one from an old iPhone? I'd certainly buy an old
iPhone that's mildly damaged if it meant I could use imessage on android.

~~~
yincrash
Possibly, but it seems that the reverse engineering + the hassle of needing an
Apple key has prevented any real compatible clones from being made.

------
otto_ortega
Yey! Just what the world was missing, yet another instant messaging app...

~~~
r00fus
Google's bid for the slack/FB message space, which is now (even Apple's
pushing) the new apps/bot platform.

Google has no choice. I also don't expect them to fold up shop unless the 'bot
market just fizzles.

------
qntty
This is what it looks like when you send someone an allo message and they
don't have allo. I was surprised that it would send something like this
without asking permission. I assumed it would fall back to SMS transparently.

[http://i.imgur.com/6aHNeMR.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/6aHNeMR.jpg)

------
fma
An app that writes my messages for me. Great, now I can be 1 step further
removed from any contacts from my friends and family.

~~~
prawn
Inbox does this too and in my brief experience so far, it's been accurate.

I remember hearing about Amazon pre-emptively shipping goods to warehouses
based on expected demand. If algorithms can anticipate our responses and our
shopping, what will be left in the end?

~~~
dx034
I think it's a big difference to Amazon. They just forecast that in a given
city x people will likely buy a certain product, so they already ship it there
and only have to attach labels when it's ordered.

Google tries to exactly forecast what you will want to respond to a picture,
which sounds a lot harder.

~~~
prawn
Not commenting so much on the difficulty or differences as much as on the
ability of software/analysis to anticipate us, gradually doing what makes us
us. With my buying history, analysis could do a reasonable job of choosing and
buying my future clothes. Spotify suggests decent music based on what I've
previously liked. With relevant data, a service could feed me satisfying food
I liked.

------
donw
I wonder how many users will come to depend on it before they shut it down.

~~~
iagooar
I give it 2 years. Maybe only 18 months. I don't even know how many different
(and confusing!) chat applications Google has launched already. Seems like
their engineers, when they get bored, write a chat app.

~~~
flukus
Next time I see someone mention how great their monolithic repository is I'll
ask how many chat applications you have to checkout before you can code at
google.

~~~
justinlardinois
There was an article posted on here a few months ago about Google's version
control system. One of the main features is that you don't actually checkout
copies of every file in the repository; instead they're faulted in as you need
them.

My impression is that the monolithic repository only works because Google's
built a bunch of custom tooling to support it. It doesn't mean any company can
just roll all of their code into a single Git repository and call it a day.

~~~
kyrra
This maybe? [http://m.cacm.acm.org/magazines/2016/7/204032-why-google-
sto...](http://m.cacm.acm.org/magazines/2016/7/204032-why-google-stores-
billions-of-lines-of-code-in-a-single-repository/fulltext)

The key here is CITC. All the source code lives "in the cloud" and pulls to
your machine as it's needed (using a FUSE file system).

~~~
justinlardinois
Yes, that's it, and that's the key feature I was talking about.

------
api
Imagine walking around and conversing with a friend and a salesman is hanging
just behind you, listening to everything you say, and interjecting carefully
crafted comments and "advice" designed to modify your buying behavior in
response to what you're talking about. He's also recording your conversation
and may or may not give it to the government or his advertising clients.

That's this, basically.

No thanks.

------
whizzkid
As long as they(Google) don't study why WhatsApp is the most popular messaging
app, I don't think they will ever dominate this market. Here are the most
important 2 things in my opinion that made whatsapp #1 messaging app.

\- WhatsApp tried to reach everyone from the beginning. Founders knew that not
everyone in world has enough money to buy a shiny phone every year.

\- WhatsApp uses minimal bytes possible to send your messages to other side.
This will be the only choice for people who have expensive data plans all over
the world, and those who are travelling often and roaming enabled.

I am not even sure if my 4 years old android phone will be able to install the
app. So will this app have a great success? I don't think so.

~~~
vocatus_gate
That's literally the reason I even heard of or installed WhatsApp a few years
ago. I was spending time doing work with my church in el Salvador and a bunch
of the locals there used WhatsApp because it avoided the insane SMS fees the
telco charged. I installed it just to chat with them internationally.

Now almost all my friends are on it and it's great. I love the cross-platform
ease of use, E2E encryption, and easy web interface. I'm just scared of how
Facebook will ruin it.

~~~
whizzkid
I think Google lately spending too much time in the Silicon Valley bubble and
less time in the real world. Solutions they are coming up with have so little
value outside the small bubble. WhatsApp solved a real world problem without
being fancy or trying to do too much.

It kept it simple, efficient and treated everyone equal in its ecosystem.

I don't think Facebook will try to change WhatsApp. They are mostly interested
in WhatsApp's user base. But even if they ruin it, success stories will not
change. The next big thing will come from people that have similar mindsets
like the ones created WhatsApp.

------
nickysielicki
So the play store still shows this as coming soon for me. They did the same
type of launch for Duo and I really don't understand what they have to gain
from this.

They're making a reentry into a very populated space. Facebook messenger,
whatsapp, Skype, iMessage... why would you risk the scenario where someone
finds this blog post in a newsfeed, looks at the app, finds it unavailable,
and never returns?

It just doesn't make any sense to me. Clearly they're going to launch sometime
in the next 12 hours. So the infrastructure is all in place and the final
builds are made. Why not wait on the press release until it's actually
available?

------
tiffanyh
How did Google get Apple to approve this app for the App Store?

It has fallback to SMS functionality[1], but SMS apps are rejected from the
Apple App store [2].

[1] [https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/google-allo-
smarter-...](https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/google-allo-smarter-
messaging-app.html)

[2] [https://developer.apple.com/app-
store/review/guidelines/](https://developer.apple.com/app-
store/review/guidelines/)

~~~
itafroma
> It has fallback to SMS functionality, but SMS apps are rejected from the
> Apple App store.

Which guideline are you thinking of? My search for "SMS" only found two
unrelated guidelines:

> 1.1.6 False information and features, including inaccurate device data or
> trick/joke functionality, such as fake location trackers. Stating that the
> app is “for entertainment purposes” won’t overcome this guideline. Apps that
> enable anonymous or prank phone calls or SMS/MMS messaging will be rejected.

> 3.2.2 (iv) Collecting funds within the app for charities and fundraisers.
> Apps that seek to raise money for such causes must be free on the App Store
> and may only collect funds outside of the app, such as via Safari or SMS.

------
koolba
I can't be the only one thinking in (12 + x) months, where x is between 0 and
24, there will be a post on the same blog: " _Say goodbye to Google Allo_ ".

------
spacehunt
Does anyone know how the app preview message notifications[1] are implemented?
Is it open to us third party app developers?

[1] When a message is sent to someone without Allo installed, they'll still
receive a notification and can reply directly from it
[https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6385770](https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6385770)

~~~
piquadrat
Might be that it is based on Instant Apps[1] which was announced at this
year's Google IO

[1]: [https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-
apps/index.html](https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/index.html)?

------
spullara
Looks like this is an attempt to do the same thing that iMessage has done for
iPhone. If Apple released iMessage for Android it would probably lay waste to
most other messaging services. People will pay to get upgraded to the blue
bubble.

[https://twitter.com/search?q=green%20bubble%20text&src=typd](https://twitter.com/search?q=green%20bubble%20text&src=typd)

~~~
urmish
Haha wow. I don't know what to make of this. Is being an apple user this
important now a days?

------
4684499
From those gifs in the post, I assume it requires Google to scan every word I
send. It will sense my tone to change the text style, and suggest how I should
response. Well, why don't you just say it for me then? I'd love to see a bot
representing me talks to my friends. And, a messaging app provides Incognito
mode, lol, is there any other way to imply my conversation isn't private
enough?

~~~
bobsil1
Your friends will have their own bots. The bot-bot conversations will have ads
sold against them. The ads will be bot-clickfrauded.

------
flukus
I've always wanted a messenger with bonzi buddy integrated...

------
primitivesuave
I'm quite sure the "smart reply" feature will eventually have a Google Gorilla
scandal[1] of its own.

1\. [http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/07/01/google-mistakenly-
tag...](http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/07/01/google-mistakenly-tags-black-
people-as-gorillas-showing-limits-of-algorithms/)

------
givinguflac
Google is a mess. Really sad to see they're doubling down even further on
invading user privacy, never mind the encryption that isn't even enabled by
default. Pathetic.

------
buro9
Does not seem to work with Google Apps account.

Which makes the list:

* Allo

* Google Fi

* Google Play Music Family Plan

* Google Play Store Family Sharing

* Google Spaces

* Google Trips

* YouTube Red

* YouTube Music

It's a growing list.

I'm always amused by the "One account. All of Google" header on the login
pages. Google Apps accounts do not grant access to all of Google as the
products do not work for it (it's not a permissions thing the domain admin can
fix).

~~~
Sargos
All of those things are consumer services and not really marketed at
businesses or education. It makes sense that they aren't available. There are
a lot of edge cases and high level decisions that go into enabling a service
for enterprise access.

Enabling Google Fi on Cloud: Suddenly Project Fi needs a dashboard to track
all of the Fi accounts for the organization. It needs mass canceling and
modification tools. It needs a dedicated support group separate from the main
Fi support. Not to mention possible uptime guarantees that would likely be
needed. It balloons the development significantly with no real benefit to the
service itself. Also businesses aren't likely to use it.

~~~
buro9
Probably worth pointing out that Google Apps at one point was called Google
for Family.

Maybe also view this:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwqDlvJyGI8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwqDlvJyGI8)
that's Google's apps team telling people as recently as yesterday how to turn
your Gmail account into a business account.

Imagine you're a small business owner, and that's your only email... you're
just about to lose a hell of a lot of things you may take for granted.

Also...
[https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/play/86WVa8b_...](https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/play/86WVa8b_3i4)
that's a lot of people complaining about this. That topic grows daily.

------
x2f10
Google is the kid who accomplishes little despite having a genius IQ as he's
unable to focus.

Google needs to build a single messaging application (ala iMessage) into
Android, Gmail, Google Docs, etc. Then, once that's done, support the
messaging app on all mobile platforms.

Most people outside the tech world do not even know what iMessage is, but they
use it daily. That is how integrated it is into Apple products - perfect.
Google can do this on a much larger scale, but chooses, instead, to focus on
pet projects they'll lay out to pasture in 12 months.

APPL and AMZN are going to eat Google's lunch.

------
jug
So how do I get this going? Ask my friends to install a new messaging app just
to talk with me? Unsure if I have that much of an influence even if I wanted
people to switch. :P

------
janvdberg
Isn't the main feature of this (smart reply) something that can be easily
implemented by other messaging apps? And the stickers/emojis and Google
Assistant are already available in other apps. Granted, Google has the power
to integrate things really well and make it a premium experience that can win
users over. Also, how does this relate to Google Hangouts/Gmail Chat? Lots of
questions so it will be interesting to see how this will turn out.

------
sorenjan
According to reports Allo doesn't support quick reply on Android N, any kind
of reply on Android Wear, or notifications on more than one device. If there
was any chat app that should support all of those it should be Google's new
and shiny, which begs the question: Have Google made these features hard to
use on Android, or are Allo's developers just not good at writing Android
apps?

------
anon4711
Google Allo: Why people such as Edward Snowden are advising against using the
app

[http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-
tech/fea...](http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-
tech/features/google-allo-should-i-download-it-privacy-issues-problems-fixes-
snowden-a7321216.html)

------
rajadigopula
Great. Let's plan an experiment of using smart replies on both sides. It's
like 2 bots chatting! Hope the smart reply adapts to individual's style with
time, otherwise, it gets boring easily and the other party might know when a
template response sent as 'sorry, no longer interested in you!'

------
betaby
More messengers - less desire to use them. My anecdata show shift to jabber
and IRC for older and more tech folks.

~~~
comboy
That's what makes hangouts appealing, you can still you your XMPP client.
Maybe allo will support it too.

~~~
ryukafalz
XMPP support is still around, but from what I've been able to gather it's
their old Google Talk system bridged into Hangouts. I fully expect it to go
away without warning at some point in the future, and I would be very
surprised if Allo ever supports it.

------
abvdasker
Another messaging app? Who gives a fuck?

------
Twisell
TL;DR; "We had to react very quickly to Apple updated iMessage so instead of
updating one of our existing clients we rolled out this new App which is a
carbon copy of iMessage*"

PS: Oh and yeah we have made this useless encryption as an opt-in per session
variable instead of standard...

------
dalbin
In many countries, "allo" is the first word of a phone conversation.

But Google Allo doesn't do any phone call, I think it will confuse users.

[https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/All%C3%B4](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/All%C3%B4)

~~~
dx034
Especially because the two biggest competitors (FB messenger and Whatsapp)
have phone calls in their chat apps. I think a lot of people will be
disappointed finding out that you can't use voice in Allo.

------
Esau
The Google surveillance machine has many faces. The only way to win is to not
play the game.

------
mmanfrin
I just don't understand why. Encryption and stickers and gifs are things you
could add to hangouts easily. 'Assistant' is just a wrapper for google now in
a less convenient form. What is the point.

~~~
gallerdude
After playing around with it for a bit, Google Assistant is the killer app.

I wanted to show my friend Bill Wurtz's wonderful "History of Japan" video. So
I just typed "@google bill wurtz japan".

Google Assistant immediately added the video to our chat. So this seems super
nice if you just thought of something you want to show a someone.

------
menacingly
The useless predictive reply stuff makes it feel more like a tech demo than an
actual product. Why on Earth would I want a machine actually expressing
sentiment for me, even if it's really cool that it can?

~~~
chriswarbo
> Why on Earth would I want a machine actually expressing sentiment for me,
> even if it's really cool that it can?

My old 'phone came with a bunch of pre-prepared SMS messages to make replies
quicker, like "OK", "Sorry, can't talk now", etc.

One of them was "I love you too".

------
newscracker
Does Allo also require one to necessarily allow access to contacts on the
device to use it? This was a must in Duo, and so I abandoned the app after
denying it permission to access my contacts because it wouldn't work otherwise
(like allowing me to enter a phone number manually). Regardless of what other
people generally do, I wouldn't want to upload my complete contacts list to a
service provider like Google (or Facebook).

Also, the default being not end-to-end encrypted is not favorable to me. But I
do like the option of having it available (like Telegram's secret chat).

~~~
ccashell
I'm not sure I understand your complaint/concern. We're talking about text
chat and video chat clients, and you're concerned with giving them access to
your contacts? How are you going to contact your contacts with the apps if
they don't know who your contacts are?

All communication apps are going to require access to your contacts so that
your contact information can be used to communicate with your contacts. Duo
and Allo are tied to phone numbers. They use phone numbers to identify users,
so without access to phone numbers (contacts), they can't function. This is
the same as all text message (SMS) clients, and the same way that many other
chat clients work (Signal, WhatsApp, etc.).

------
Flip-per
So if Allo, Whatsapp and Signal itself use the protocol and implementation of
Signal, wouldn't it be possible to freely choose one of these clients which
then can communicate with all other clients?

~~~
Spakman
I'm afraid not. Federation isn't supported at all as far as I'm aware. It was
on the Signal roadmap early on, but things have changed:

[https://whispersystems.org/blog/the-ecosystem-is-
moving/](https://whispersystems.org/blog/the-ecosystem-is-moving/)

------
bane
My response is the same as when Duo came out
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12297084](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12297084)

------
senc01a
Hello and Goodbye Allo. Not interested in yet another messaging product.

------
bstrong
I find it interesting that people are complaining both about the lack of a web
app and about Google keeping message history on their servers. I'm assuming
they will eventually build a web app, but you can't build a useful one unless
you have the message history on the server, encrypted in such a way that the
web server can decrypt it and serve it to the browser.

Unfortunately, you really do have to choose between privacy and having a web
app. I'm not sure which I value more, TBH.

------
enitihas
Just installed the app and asked the google assistant - "Are you on Facebook?"

The reply -> "I'm not on facebook, but I do like things a lot (y)"

------
zuxfer
Am I too old school to miss Google Talk even today?

------
johnhenry
I just texted a friend and she replied "Good morning... why google allo". The
message that she received from me included a message letting her know that I
added her to Google Allo to chat along with a link to unsubscribe. I normally
try to have more substance in my comments than just an anecdote, but this is
simply highly un-nerving...

------
tauchunfall
>but everyone at both school and work these days shifts seamlessly from mobile
to dekstop and back

Maybe the communication protocol is based on Hangout. Some people reverse-
engineered the protocol and open-sourced it. It's called hangups.

I'm not sure, but was WhatsApp mobile-only in the past and someone reverse-
engineered the modified XMMP protocol? never used it.

------
github-cat
So this is what I get when I use Google Assistant.
[http://www.pixelstech.net/fun/279-Am-I-talking-to-Google-
Ass...](http://www.pixelstech.net/fun/279-Am-I-talking-to-Google-Assistant-or-
ET)

------
sickbeard
I always wondered what word we would use after "smart" wore off. Apparently
it's now "smarter"

------
piyush_soni
Still says "Unregister" (or Pre-register if you hadn't registered) for me (I'm
in India).

------
meira
This time is different, I'm sure.

------
andmarios
> _Google Allo makes it easier for you to respond quickly and keep the
> conversation going, even when you’re on the go. With Smart Reply, you can
> respond to messages with just a tap, so you can send a quick “yup” in
> response to a friend asking “Are you on your way?” Smart Reply will also
> suggest responses for photos. If your friend sends you a photo of their pet,
> you might see Smart Reply suggestions like “aww cute!” And whether you’re a
> “haha” or “” kind of person, Smart Reply will improve over time and adjust
> to your style._

So for Google instead of snowflakes we are glorified chat bots? I like it. I
hope one day it can imitate me so well I can delegate all my chats to it. It
will be like a mini-me!

> _Have some fun. Ask your Assistant to share that funny YouTube video or play
> games with friends right in your group chat — for instance you can compete
> to guess a movie title based on a series of emojis._

Oh great, now I have a tireless assistant to help me spam my friends and make
them procrastinate!

~~~
em500
> I hope one day it can imitate me so well I can delegate all my chats to it.
> It will be like a mini-me!

Next step is when both ends do this and cut out the human middle (wo)men.

~~~
andmarios
Yeap! And after work we can have a meta-chat about what our mini-mes chatted
while we were working.

------
huangc10
Is it weird to anyone else that the first GIF they show is of an iPhone using
Allo and not Android? What message is Google trying to send (excuse the pun)?
To me, it really shows that they are prioritizing iPhone over Android...

------
mark_l_watson
I installed it and am comparing it to updates in macOS Sierra that I installed
today.

Even though Siri hooks into Wolfram Alpha so it does very well with
'calculation style' questions and general world questions, without Google's
greater knowledge of what we are doing it can't compete.

The question for people to answer individually is do they want give up more
private information and have a great Google experience, or, they want more
privacy, in which case Apple comes out the winner.

With Allo, asking about my future airline reservations works, but asking for
future shuttle reservations did not, which was surprising since Google Inbox
highlights the upcoming shuttle reservation.

EDIT: it turns out that you can't make Allo your SMS app on Android, it is
separate. Allo looks cool, but I deregistered and uninstalled it: SMS, email,
and separate Google Now works well for me.

~~~
Yhippa
You know when you search Google for a question and sometimes it will highlight
the answer in a card at the top of the page by itself? I'm really surprised
it's not doing that in Allo.

~~~
vthallam
Basically part of the answer and a hyperlink to the full answer. Guess, they
will add it soon enough.

------
ephimetheus
It's almost as if they want you to abandon their stuff even before they do...

------
dagaci
I Have WhatsApp running on my iPhone, Windows PC, on my iMac and Laptop. I
haven't tried Allo yet, but I'm not happy with any app like this taking off
that isn't cross-platform.

~~~
dethstar
Whatsapp wasn't on the web not too long ago. They also started with Chrome
only which was annoying.

------
j_koreth
This reminds me a lot of Telegram in incognito vs secret chat and the
stickers. I wish Google good luck in such a competive field and especially one
that is completely dependent on the network effect

------
f4stjack
All I want from this newest addition to google chat services is a decent
overview of who is online and who is not. The rest is just icing on the cake.

------
xfactor973
Yet another Google product that'll I'll like and they'll kill off in a year.
I'm getting tired of this pattern from them

------
throw2016
Google just keeps pushing boundaries trying to legitimise spying. This is
really creepy, and its surprising that Google and folks who work there think
its ok to do this. Might as well have an NSA drone tail you.

It's as if Google's ad business is just a front for a global intelligence
gathering operation.

There is a real problem with Google here and a golden opportunity for less
privacy invading businesses to take its place. I am sure as users becoming
more aware they will increasingly gravitate to businesses that can operate
less creepily.

------
lost_name
I wonder if the WhatsApp "problem" Brazil has been having somehow influenced
the change of stance of encryption?

------
rer
If both Allo users have responses recommended by the app, who's chatting with
each other -- the users or the apps?

------
nikolay
I dislike it - there's no history between app installs. The least I need is
another ephemeral messaging app!

------
siddharthdeswal
Just like omnichannel, chat apps need to be 'omnichat', i.e. be present on
mobiles and desktop.

------
overcast
Express yourself with photos, emojis and stickers.

This is where I decided I'm done reading, and this is not for me.

------
silverbln
Why would someone use Allo - giving everyone the awkward feeling that my
responses are computer-written?

------
psyc
I faintly remember the early 'oughts, back when I used to be excited about the
stuff Google did.

------
timClicks
This looks a lot like Wave wanted to be. Communication & smart agents helping
things along.

------
BMorearty
Just don't fat-finger the verification code.

I did, and now I can't create an account.

------
kriro
If they want an instant network effect there's a really simple
play...integrate it with Pokemon Go. If it's the only official IM program
that'll work with/is tightly coupled with Pokemon Go enough people will
install it.

Might sound silly but I think that would actually be a great play for Google.

------
draw_down
Why do they need another-nother-nother messaging app?!

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jcg8802
Says it's available for iOS. Not available for iOS.

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jorgecastillo
Great, another App we'll get bundled in our Android devices. (>_<) I don't
think so Google!

[https://telegram.org/](https://telegram.org/)

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oliv__
So this is what 2016 looks like in tech...

------
notliketherest
This is Googles big play into chat bots.

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gcatalfamo
Can't find it. Is it US only?

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nitins
Installed it. Liking it so far.

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saynsedit
Say hello to privacy invasion

------
vs2
Not available in UK store ...

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rajanikanthr
useless for me until they introduce equivalent of web.whatsapp.com

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davidgerard
I'm sure Ello are delighted with Google's respect for trademarks.

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omouse
Encrypted or not?

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senc01a
Goodbye Allo.

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mapletree
Allo Taxi Lebanon is going to be pissed!

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kai101
wow, conversing with an AI. Skynet is near.

~~~
bobsil1

        I see. Why do you feel
        that way? -Eliza

------
supercoder
they should have just made this an iMessage app

------
ryan-allen
I don't like canned replies. I made a tampermonkey [0] user script [1] to
remove auto reply suggestions from Google Inbox, they drove me nuts. I found
them utterly patronising! If only I could remove them from my phone, too.

[0]
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tampermonkey/dhdgf...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tampermonkey/dhdgffkkebhmkfjojejmpbldmpobfkfo?hl=en)
[1] [https://gist.github.com/ryan-
allen/fd45c6f7396fffe28b6b3b517...](https://gist.github.com/ryan-
allen/fd45c6f7396fffe28b6b3b51797bb14f)

