Google Announces Allo, Duo, Stable Android N Preview, Instant Apps

Also at the conference, Google announced Allo, a new smart messaging app, and Duo, a high-definition video chat app for Android and iOS devices. TechCrunch reports: Why the decision to launch two separate apps? A couple of reasons, it seems. The first is to keep the experiences simple and lightweight; and the second: to do something a little different from the rest of the pack. Facebook, for example, has supercharged Messenger with smart bots, as well as voice and video calling and more on top of its basic text messaging service. Allo leverages Google's assistant bot to prompt interesting and relevant responses to texts. Duo is a one-to-one video chatting app with a number of interesting features including "Knock Knock" which lets you see the real-time video of the person calling you.
Google has also released the third preview of Android N. The company says that it is now safe enough to be used on your primary smartphone and tablet. The new update comes with a feature called "Seamless Updates" which will install system updates in the background.
The company also announced Instant Apps, a feature that will allow users to tap an Instant App URL, and run the app without installing it. Clicking on Instant App URL, Google says, only gleans the parts of the app that you need for a specific purpose. The feature will work on all phones running Android 4.2 or newer version, and will be available starting later this year.

Comments

And from the What-Can-Possibly-Go-Wrong Dept....

[halfEvilTech]

Google is opening up the naming suggestions for Android N to the internet.

hopefully no one submits Namely McNameFace

MORE apps?!

[schitso]

Alright, I'm a Google fanboy, so I typically give them the benefit of the doubt, but seriously? What happened to Hangouts being their unified messaging app??

Re:MORE apps?!

[geek]

Google jumped the shark a couple years ago. They are at peak Google right now but its fading as people are realizing just how intrusive and crappy their stuff is. Gmail and search are their two standout products, everything else is "meh" and often done better by others. Plus Google as a company seems to have ADHD as they simply can't focus on anything at all. It's so childish watching them flail around like they do playing with "cool" stuff and never marketing any of it, promoting any of it, selling any of it. As a company they just suck on so many levels its frightening.

That's a GREAT idea, I love starting over!

[Overzeetop]

A smart messaging app - thank goodness! I've been waiting for forever to get another messaging app. I mean sure, there's Google Hangouts. And Google Messenger. But I keep feeling like they could do a better job, and what better way to fix the half-assed messaging platforms they've done in the past than just kick them to the curb and start over from scratch. In fact, I'm already excited about the messaging platform that that's going to be super-awesome NEXT year when they abandon Allo because we all realize that, actually, it pretty much sucks.

And let's hope they do better with Duo than than they did with Voice - because...oh, who am I kidding. Whatever the write after they abandon Dou in a half-finshed state is going to be super-cool, too!

God, I'm just SO excited about all the new apps from Google!!

Already cancelled

[rainwalker]

Just save yourself some disappointment and assume they've already been cancelled. You'd have to be a blinding idiot to start using any new Google app, especially a chat app. Like always, they'll get about 75% completed, then, like a small toddler, will get bored and wander off in search of the next shiny, while the app bitrots until someone finally notices and kills it.

Re:For the Love of God...

[mrchaotica]

Obligatory XKCD.

XMPP already exists. Coming up with something else would be actively harmful.