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Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

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Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#201

Post by em500 »

dkarapetyan wrote: post #133
scottmf wrote: post #129

The technology behind the feature is great, don't get me wrong. But there's something so empty about the Labrador response. I want a discussion with a human. Not a human-curated conversation of algorithm-determined responses. Simple human conversation isn't as much of a problem-to-be-solved as they seem to think it is.

This falls in an interesting uncanny valley. If you know the person on the other end is using allo who are you really talking to? The average google bot response powered by deepmind or the actual person on the other end?

Reminds me of when Facebook got slammed about their auto-happy-birthday feature: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/29/facebook-...

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#202

Post by Twisell »

jjcm wrote: post #101
dovdov wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

End-to-end encryption from your phone to Google's server, where neural networks now analyze all your data, Super cute! Lovely Labrador!

From their FAQ: "Your chats are end-to-end encrypted and can only be seen by you and the person you're chatting with. Google can't read any of your messages, so you won't see any Smart Reply or Google Assistant features." https://support.google.com/allo/answer/6383724?ref_topic=637...

Meanwhile with iMessages encryption is standard and "quick reply" + "App interactions" are available...

So basically at Google encryption is a separate feature and come at the cost of the others cool features. This combined with the confusion between "incognito mode" and "porn mode" may contribute to a slow adoption of crypto-features in Allo IMHO...

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#203

Post by [deleted] »

Nullabillity wrote: post #97
rtpg wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are other reasons, but I really dislike using my phone number as an ID. Phone numbers are much harder to change , so if some annoying person gets a hold of it suddenly they can harass me across networks. This is a thing that actually happens! A big reason why I don't like telegram (even if everything else is awesome). I'm cool with my account being linked to a phone number, but I'd rather avoid giving t…

IIRC, Telegram allows you to set a username and give that out instead.

[deleted]

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#204

Post by newscracker »

rtpg wrote: post #55
putlake wrote: post #8

I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. It's a great cross-platform video chat app. I especially like the feature where you can see the other party before you answer their call. I have taken calls because of that feature that I otherwise wouldn't have. It's better than FaceTime because it works on Android. It's better than Skype and Google Hangouts because your cellphone number is your identity; you don'…

I think there are other reasons, but I really dislike using my phone number as an ID. Phone numbers are much harder to change , so if some annoying person gets a hold of it suddenly they can harass me across networks. This is a thing that actually happens! A big reason why I don't like telegram (even if everything else is awesome). I'm cool with my account being linked to a phone number, but I'd rather avoid giving t…

You can set any available username in Telegram and give that out to people or point them to https://telegram.me/yourusername

These people would be able to converse with you on Telegram but would not be able to find your phone number on the app/site.

Wire is a platform/client that allows setting up accounts with email address and/or phone number, although when I set it up I had to provide a phone number. Contact sharing is not perfect yet. It also has end-to-end encryption by default, has multi-device and multi-platform sync, and some other cool features (doodling, for example).

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#206

Post by skyrw »

jotux wrote: post #72

So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts work really well.

The only killer feature that hangouts has is that it's the only reliable way to talk to any of your friends that work at google.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#207

Post by tdkl »

harry8 wrote: post #139
harry8 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and their jabber, which used to be useful for desktop IM got converted into an sms replacement forced on everyone against their will who uses android. Upshot now if you use xmpp like you always did it's received as sms which is probably not what you wanted. Thanks google. So get into bed with them by all means, but don't be suprised once you're tied up they flip you over.

Oh and encryption. That's not default like it should be, it's a "Mode within" that you have to select. Which people won't because of the hassle and mass surveillance continues. If they made the bloody thing properly encrypted end to end all the time I could forgive them for their blatant bait and switch, for keeping everyone's email searchable by the nsa in gmail (whether you use it or not, your mail is there) and al…

> Which people won't because of the hassle and mass surveillance continues.

That's why they added it. Now they can market it as "we have encryption too", but it's so out of the primary experience that not many will bother with it. E2E has become a checkmark to list, because most don't care about the most important part - how it works.

It's similar with Facebooks secret messages, where the secret messages are apart from regular ones.

Lets face it: the only thing this was built is Google collecting data to feed the "Google assistant".

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#209

Post by Gustomaximus »

rtpg wrote: post #55
putlake wrote: post #8

I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. It's a great cross-platform video chat app. I especially like the feature where you can see the other party before you answer their call. I have taken calls because of that feature that I otherwise wouldn't have. It's better than FaceTime because it works on Android. It's better than Skype and Google Hangouts because your cellphone number is your identity; you don'…

I think there are other reasons, but I really dislike using my phone number as an ID. Phone numbers are much harder to change , so if some annoying person gets a hold of it suddenly they can harass me across networks. This is a thing that actually happens! A big reason why I don't like telegram (even if everything else is awesome). I'm cool with my account being linked to a phone number, but I'd rather avoid giving t…

Shouldn't this work both ways, where if someone does harass you, that they have a phone number to sing into systems allows you to easily block them across all channels. Combined with Android spam blocker it could work well.

That said I'd like 2 user options on my phone more to separate work/personal so I can turn off one but not the other.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#210

Post by Gustomaximus »

rtpg wrote: post #55
putlake wrote: post #8

I'm surprised Google Duo hasn't become more popular. It's a great cross-platform video chat app. I especially like the feature where you can see the other party before you answer their call. I have taken calls because of that feature that I otherwise wouldn't have. It's better than FaceTime because it works on Android. It's better than Skype and Google Hangouts because your cellphone number is your identity; you don'…

I think there are other reasons, but I really dislike using my phone number as an ID. Phone numbers are much harder to change , so if some annoying person gets a hold of it suddenly they can harass me across networks. This is a thing that actually happens! A big reason why I don't like telegram (even if everything else is awesome). I'm cool with my account being linked to a phone number, but I'd rather avoid giving t…

Shouldn't this work both ways, where if someone does harass you, that they have a phone number to sing into systems allows you to easily block them across all channels. Combined with Android spam blocker it could work well.

That said I'd like 2 user options on my phone more to separate work/personal so I can turn off one but not the other.

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