Does the World need another messenger application? Google says ‘Yes’ and believes that its Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered messaging app, ‘Google Allo’ is distinct enough to compete against WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple’s iMessage and all others.

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Google’ new revolutionary and more personalized app boasts of loads of loads of amazing features like sticker packs, end-to-end encryption, voice messages and an Assistant.

Did I just mention an Assistant ? Yes, very much so. The all new google chat app ‘Google Allo’ is first to include a mega chatbot (Google Assistant) that utilizes the artificial intelligence to offer quick answer and solution in a conventional manner. Google Allo App is available for free download on iOS and Android,  Allo was first introduced during the Google I/O conference in conjunction with Duo (Google’s web-calling app). Though it sends and receives the message like the other messenger apps, Allo’s promising features make it stand out from rest of the competition.

Read on to find out what is the new chat app from Google all about and how it is different from existing messenger applications, especially Google’s very own hangout messenger.

Google Assistant: An ultimate Mega Bot

Google Allo’s standout feature is Google Assistant. It is basically a bot that enables you to ask wide variety of question. It then separates the answer into different queries to produce an intelligent answer.

• You can ask the assistant for “Restaurants nearby?” and it will search the nearby restaurants ( make sure that you have the location turned on) or check latest email, news etc.
• You can easily Translate the phrases and words in other languages and
• If you are feeling bored, it can share an interesting fact with you. You can also play games with it.
• You can search for common queries and avail information about the flights, best deals, air fares,etc.

These suggestions works likewise for any queries, thereby giving users the Google Search power without leaving the chat app at all. However, Google assistant is not complete and is presently running in “Preview Edition”. Google is looking forward for the customer’s feedback to make further changes in Google Assistant. A competitor to Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant might also be integrated with the Google Home in near future.

Smart Reply: Communicate in a Smarter Way

One of the amazingly distinctive Allo’s feature  is its ability to send Smart Replies. Smart Replies are generic autogenerated replies which are canned and can be natural sounding or colloquial (for example, responses to the question “Are you Busy?” include “Not really, you?, “What’s up?”and, “Yes. Why?”)

Smart Replies are generic responses that pop up above the keyboard and text field. Though the replies are canned (for example, auto generated responses to the question, "Are you busy?" include "What's up?" "Not really, you?" and, "Yes. Why?"), they can be quite colloquial and somewhat natural-sounding time-savers. Though, the resulting responses don’t sound quite right. Everyone speaks a little differently, every group has it’s own slang and this is where Google Allo is meant to excel. It is supposed to learn not only from what you type but also from what suggestions you offer. It is not only limited to text. You can send a photo, Allo recognizes the subject and come over with response images. That said, the personalization is limited, Google is still refining the algorithms behind this feature.

Incognito Mode: Keep it Private

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If the thought of Google monitoring your chat creeps in your mind, you have Incognito mode. Google has taken in account the Incognito concept from Chrome and applied it to chats on Allo. However, Incongito isn’t the default mode as you won’t get to use the features like Google Assistant or Smart Reply. But when you choose Incognito, you’ll get end-to-end encryption so that no third party, not even google is accessing your conversation. Another amazing feature is setting up of expiration time ( range between 5 seconds - 1 week). This will make your chat disappear on the set schedule.

Express Better: Ink, Doodles, Stickers, HUGE emojis and more...

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A successful messaging app requires a series of non-text options to express better. Google making no mistake, has partnered with studios and independent artists across the globe to create more than 25 custom fun sticker packs, add some fun to conversation and express it all with Stickers. You can Ink and creatively turn any photo into a work art by Doodling (mixing in some colours or drawing a smiley or simply by adding text) on them. No more ALL CAPS to convey your emotion. Say it Louder or Quieter by changing the text size with a swipe. Unlike a majority of other messaging apps, you can easily send a message to a non-Allo user as well.

Why Consider Allo?

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Google Allo can be one of the zillionth messaging app so the chances are you are already using a messaging app and it’s hard to convince you to try something new. One important feature which I feel is missing is the ability to share files, but that feature may make it to the app in coming future. Chat apps like WhatsApp and Messenger are already engaging the majority of the user base in the market. Whether the users will be ready to adopt a new chat app like Allo, is a question which only time will tell. Assuming that people are willing to use yet another chat app, Allo might come bundled on all Android smart phones and readily available for the downloads on other platforms.

Most of it’s distinctive features are described above. What are your views about it? Do you think Google Allo is worth the download? Please share your valuable feedback on the topic.