Google Allo: A Smart Instant Messenger With “Incognito Mode” And “Google Assistant”

 The newest delight from chef Google’s kitchen is an instant messaging app Google Allo. The thing Google flaunts in Allo is the preview build of Google Assistant, a Siri counterpart for the Android ecosystem. An iOS version of Google Allo is also available. Google Assistant and Allo were announced at the I/O conference in May this year.

Google already has Hangouts. So, why a new one? Well, Allo has way more to offer than the not-so-popular Hangouts. Google Allo has a feature known as Smart Reply. It suggests reply messages which you send by a single tap on your screen.

“If your friend sends you a photo of their pet, you might see Smart Reply suggestions like “aww cute!,” writes Amit Fulay, Group Product Manager at Google. So, we can assume it as a more advanced version of the auto-reply functionality we have on our phone. It’s good, it saves some keystroke and thinking efforts so that our fingers and brain can rest for a little while.

 Setting up Google Allo is a quick task. Just like Google Duo and other instant messengers like WhatsApp, you only have to enter your mobile number. As soon as you enter the app, you’ll be greeted by Google Assistant. You can also add the Google Assistant to your chats by typing @google.

Just like Siri, you can ask questions and expect intelligent replies. However, Assistant is still a preview, so, it has some drawbacks in terms of visual appearance. It also needs some level of touch interaction. For instance, when you say “Open Gallery”, it’ll lead you to a screen where you’ll have to tap in order to open the Gallery app.

One interesting thing about Google Allo is that it has an “incognito mode”, just like we have in Chrome. The messages you send in incognito mode will have an expiry clock attached to them. Also, your friends who don’t have Google Allo, you can send them SMS using the Allo app and    that too for free.

Google Allo is good. I played with it for a while. You can tap and hold the send button to open text resize feature. Move your finger up and down to change the font size of your text and smilies. Just like WhatsApp, Google Duo, your conversations are end-to-end encrypted on Allo.