It's a smart messaging app that incorporates Google's machine learning.
Google’s new Allo and Duo apps coming this summer for Android and iOS
Google took the veil off a new messaging app today and it's called Allo. It's not a Hangouts replacement but rather a standalone app that looks kind of like Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp. The key difference between Allo and Hangouts is that Allo comes with some machine learning built right in, courtesy of
Google's newly announced personal assisant As Google engineering director Erik Kay explained on stage during
today's I/O keynote Allo is a smart messaging app that "learns over time" to make conversations easier and more productive.
Before we get into the whole smart assistant part of it, let's start with a few basic features. They include something called Expressions, which are essentially amped-up versions of emojis and stickers. For example, Kay demonstrated a gesture called Whisper Shout, wherein sliding your finger down will result in a small-text "whisper" while sliding it up will prompt a large-text "shout." You can also send full-bleed photos plus doodle over them like you can on Snapchat. Interestingly, you sign up for Allo using your phone number, not your Google account. In fact, connecting Allo to your Google account is completely optional.
Google unveiled the Allo and Duo apps at Google I/O 2016.
Allo is an instant messaging app with inbuilt Google Assistant integration.
Duo is a video calling app with end-to-end encryption.
Another feature is something called Smart Reply, which utilizes some of that machine learning mentioned earlier. So if someone says "Dinner later?" it'll automatically suggest options like "I'm in!" or "I'm busy" as it anticipates what you want to say next. The more you use it, Kay says, the better at responding the app will be. Smart Replies can also include emojis and stickers, by the way.
Smart Replies even works in response to photos. Allo builds upon Google's computer vision capabilities to understand the context and content of images. It'll understand that your friend just sent a photo of a dog, for example, and even the breed of it. So an automated Smart Reply would be something like "Cute dog!" If it's a photo of clam linguine, it'd suggest "Yummy" or "I love clams!"
Coming to Duo, Google's new video calling app is here to take on FaceTime, Skype, Viber, and others. It's a fairly simple app, and lets you call all your contacts on your phone (as long as they have the app installed). One of the biggest highlight is possibly Google claiming that it works evens on low networks.
Duo calls are in HD, however if the network is spotty, Google claims that the app adjusts the quality to keep the video call seamless. The app has a feature called Knock Knock which basically shows you a preview video of the caller, before picking it up. So instead of just the name, the video of the caller is also played at the back. Once the user picks up the call, the audio gets turned on, and the two parties can then converse easily.
Allo and Duo will be available for both Android and iOS later this summer.Make sure you check back regularly as we’ll update our release date section with new information as soon as we have it.
