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Google Allo For Chrome Finally Arrives, But Only For Android Users (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the better-late-than-never dept.

Google Allo, the chat app that arrived on the iPhone and Android devices last year, now has a web counterpart. Head of product for Allo and video chat app Duo, Amit Fulay, tweeted: "Allow for web is here! Try it on Chrome today. Get the latest Allo build on Android before giving it a spin." Engadget reports: To give it a go, you'll need to open the Allo app on your device and use that to scan a QR code you can generate at this link. Once you've scanned the code, Allo pulls up your chat history and mirrors all the conversations you have on your phone. Most of Allo's key features, including smart replies, emoji, stickers and most importantly the Google Assistant are all intact here. In fact, this is the first time you can really get the full Google Assistant experience through the web; it's been limited to phones and Google Home thus far.

4 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. Oblig. Allo, allo by nospam007 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Listen very carefully, for I shall say this only once.

  2. Huh? by bickerdyke · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sounds complicated. I'll stick with Hangouts. Multi-device, web and app available, group chats and single chats, audio and video..... Google should buy that if they want a good messenger.

    oh.. wait a sec..

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    bickerdyke
  3. The new Google+ by paulatz · · Score: 4, Funny

    There is a huge demand for this new chat app, this is going to be a big hit! All the people who use google+ will also want to use Allo

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    this post contain no useful information, no need to mod it down
  4. Thank goodness by DrXym · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Remember when Google used to support XMPP (Jabber) protocol so chat was federated and people could use what software they liked?

    These days, every chat provider is just a vertical, proprietary walled off service. First they snare you with the kewl features, then they scrape your contacts. Then they start grabbing your GPS location. Then they start pushing ads and services at you "relevant to your conversations and location". Then they start integrating features of product B until the chat software is a bloated mess. Then they calve off product B into its own app but make it mandatory you install it as part of a suite. Then a new chat app comes along which claims to do away with the bloat, rinse and repeat.

    Just implement a secure, federated, open protocol and stop this nonsense. At that point chat can be part of the phone software stack. Apps can compete on their front ends and other functions they offer.