If you’re looking for a quick way to fire off a message or call a friend or family member from your phone or computer, you have a bewildering array of choices. Now Google has added one more. Here's the two applications that Google just released recently:
1. Google Allo
Earlier this month, the search giant launched Allo. The new app, which is available for Android smartphones and iPhones, is intended to be Google’s answer to the WhatsApps and WeChats of the world — an easy-to-use messaging program for consumers. Allo works like many other contemporary messaging apps. You don’t need to sign up for an account or create a login ID. You can link it to your Google account, but you don’t have to. Instead, Allo identifies you based on your phone number.
In order to send a message to another person on Allo, you just need to know their phone number. The app can be linked to your address book so that you can easily find people to connect with. You can use Allo to send messages both to people who are already using the app and to those who aren’t; the app sends messages to the latter group via the SMS text system for free. You can also create group chats where you can send out messages to multiple people at the same time.
Allo provides buttons that allow you to easily send photos and videos and to share your current location. It also offers a limited collection of stickers you can send. Weirdly, one of the default sticker themes includes a cartoon sloth doing a variety of different things such as hugging a wine bottle or surfing on a pizza.
The other feature of this messaging app is the Google Assistant and auto-type AI. These aren’t stagnated quick reply options like you see on other messaging platforms, oh no – Google claims that Assistant will learn over time and provide you with personalised answers that you’d actually use. It’ll work when asked things like if you want to go out for dinner, but will also suggest responses to photos because, Google being Google, the company can analyse the photo and its contents, understand the context and suggest a response. Pretty cool, right? You can see it in action below:
However, if you thought it ended there, you’d be wrong. Much like Facebook’s chatbots, you can talk directly to Google Assistant via text directly in Allo, allowing you to search for movies and more all without leaving the app. You can type “@Google” in the chat window to talk directly to Google Assistant, and it’ll provide you with what you require – be it search results or a funny GIF to share with friends. It’s contextual and will remember previous conversations so you can just carry on where you left off last time if necessary.
2. Google Duo
Duo is Google’s standalone video calling app that looks set to take on Skype and FaceTime. We say standalone video calling app because that’s exactly what it is – there’s no messaging function as you get with Skype, its only purpose is for video chat. It features a simple UI and measures in at a tiny 5MB in size, making it an attractive option for video callers. So what makes it special? There are a number of cool features available, but the key feature of Duo is speed.
In August 2016 Google also confirmed that Duo will soon support audio-only calls - this means Google could look to integrate Duo as the main communication service in future iterations of Android, cutting out the need for traditional cellular calls altogether. All hail Google.
Duo features a feature called Knock Knock, exclusive to Android devices, which shows you a live video of the person video calling you on your lock screen before you even pick up the phone. Once you do answer the call, the video call starts instantly with no black loading screens or lag. The app is incredibly responsive in performance, and we think it’ll be a major selling point of the service.
That’s not all though, as Google claims that Duo will even work with spotty cellular connections, a bane of modern day video calling. How? According to the company, the app can dynamically adjust the video and audio quality to suit whatever kind of connection you’re on, and can maintain the call even when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular and vice versa.
This is down to a lot of technical know-how and while we’re not pretending to be Google engineers, simply put, the company optimised webRTC and connects the calls using QUIC over UDP, providing users with a much faster initial connection that’s also encrypted end-to-end.
Much like Allo, Google Duo works with your mobile phone number instead of a Google account, providing users with a much more natural experience – who wants to call a username or email when you can call a mobile number?
Will you all use Google Duo and Google Allo to replace your usual chatting and video calling service? Both of the applications are now downloadable via Google Play Store or Apple App Store
1. Google Allo
Earlier this month, the search giant launched Allo. The new app, which is available for Android smartphones and iPhones, is intended to be Google’s answer to the WhatsApps and WeChats of the world — an easy-to-use messaging program for consumers. Allo works like many other contemporary messaging apps. You don’t need to sign up for an account or create a login ID. You can link it to your Google account, but you don’t have to. Instead, Allo identifies you based on your phone number.
In order to send a message to another person on Allo, you just need to know their phone number. The app can be linked to your address book so that you can easily find people to connect with. You can use Allo to send messages both to people who are already using the app and to those who aren’t; the app sends messages to the latter group via the SMS text system for free. You can also create group chats where you can send out messages to multiple people at the same time.
Allo provides buttons that allow you to easily send photos and videos and to share your current location. It also offers a limited collection of stickers you can send. Weirdly, one of the default sticker themes includes a cartoon sloth doing a variety of different things such as hugging a wine bottle or surfing on a pizza.
The other feature of this messaging app is the Google Assistant and auto-type AI. These aren’t stagnated quick reply options like you see on other messaging platforms, oh no – Google claims that Assistant will learn over time and provide you with personalised answers that you’d actually use. It’ll work when asked things like if you want to go out for dinner, but will also suggest responses to photos because, Google being Google, the company can analyse the photo and its contents, understand the context and suggest a response. Pretty cool, right? You can see it in action below:
2. Google Duo
Duo is Google’s standalone video calling app that looks set to take on Skype and FaceTime. We say standalone video calling app because that’s exactly what it is – there’s no messaging function as you get with Skype, its only purpose is for video chat. It features a simple UI and measures in at a tiny 5MB in size, making it an attractive option for video callers. So what makes it special? There are a number of cool features available, but the key feature of Duo is speed.
In August 2016 Google also confirmed that Duo will soon support audio-only calls - this means Google could look to integrate Duo as the main communication service in future iterations of Android, cutting out the need for traditional cellular calls altogether. All hail Google.
Duo features a feature called Knock Knock, exclusive to Android devices, which shows you a live video of the person video calling you on your lock screen before you even pick up the phone. Once you do answer the call, the video call starts instantly with no black loading screens or lag. The app is incredibly responsive in performance, and we think it’ll be a major selling point of the service.
That’s not all though, as Google claims that Duo will even work with spotty cellular connections, a bane of modern day video calling. How? According to the company, the app can dynamically adjust the video and audio quality to suit whatever kind of connection you’re on, and can maintain the call even when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular and vice versa.
This is down to a lot of technical know-how and while we’re not pretending to be Google engineers, simply put, the company optimised webRTC and connects the calls using QUIC over UDP, providing users with a much faster initial connection that’s also encrypted end-to-end.
Much like Allo, Google Duo works with your mobile phone number instead of a Google account, providing users with a much more natural experience – who wants to call a username or email when you can call a mobile number?
Will you all use Google Duo and Google Allo to replace your usual chatting and video calling service? Both of the applications are now downloadable via Google Play Store or Apple App Store
