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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

#351

Post by random42 »

calinet6 wrote: post #309
soylentcola wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why so many of my friends and family use Hangouts née Gmail Chat. We can use it in the browser at work just by keeping Gmail open in a tab. No IM applications to install or concerns about whether we're running Windows, OSX, or whatever. Then the conversations follow when you log off whatever desktop or laptop you're on via the mobile app. About half of us use Android so it either comes standard or you…

My lord, why isn't Allo just Hangouts 3? They had an established userbase, a name, a brand, and useful cross-platform tools already. I get the desire to start fresh, but that's a lot of established traction in a very crowded market to just throw away.

> why isn't Allo just Hangouts 3?

I was wondering that too. I honestly suspect some executive in Google's team wanted to have more visibility, team and power.

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

#352

Post by edhelas »

amelius wrote: post #218

Can't we just agree on one standard already? I hate having to use multiple messaging apps, that's the biggest UX failure right there, and it desperately needs fixing! Forget about all the other features!

XMPP http://xmpp.org/ ? Or maybe Matrix if you want a nice XKCD-927 project :)

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

#353

Post by sorenjan »

I don't know of any other company that has discontinued as many products people actually used. Sorry Google, even if I didn't already have several chat apps and even if I didn't prefer to type on a real keyboard I still couldn't recommend your new products to friends and family. I just don't trust you anymore.

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

#354

Post by nkassis »

codelitt wrote: post #284
TuringNYC wrote: post #254

Not sure how common this is, but everyone at both school and work these days shifts seamlessly from mobile to dekstop and back. This has been one of the main reasons we tend to use WhatsApp and Slack, even for corporate communications as silly as that sounds -- because you can type long messages on it on the keyboard/desktop but also have access to it on the go. What I don't understand is -- given Allo had a blank sl…

People keep saying mobile is the future, however, I just can't imagine desktops leaving us anytime soon. If I'm on the go, then sure I want it on my mobile device, but 99% of the time when I'm at work I want quick and easy access either through an app or the browser on my desktop. If a service I use doesn't have a desktop app, then it likely won't receive any of my attention until I'm out of the office.

I think it's a pipe dream to imagine that all future interactions will be through mobile devices like phones. The way I see it mobile is adding extra time spent with tech instead of replacing desktop entirely. People spend more time online then they used to, a lot of it due to mobile devices becoming common place. Some time that used to be spent on desktop is migrating but not all of it. Desktop and Laptops will be a thing for a long time.

Another thing I find annoying is we went from mobile first to mobile only for a lot of things. The point of mobile first was to ensure that the less capable devices were not second rate citizens to desktop. Not that they are the only thing customers will use to access services.

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

#356

Post by Pxtl »

calinet6 wrote: post #309
soylentcola wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why so many of my friends and family use Hangouts née Gmail Chat. We can use it in the browser at work just by keeping Gmail open in a tab. No IM applications to install or concerns about whether we're running Windows, OSX, or whatever. Then the conversations follow when you log off whatever desktop or laptop you're on via the mobile app. About half of us use Android so it either comes standard or you…

My lord, why isn't Allo just Hangouts 3? They had an established userbase, a name, a brand, and useful cross-platform tools already. I get the desire to start fresh, but that's a lot of established traction in a very crowded market to just throw away.

Exactly. Hangouts has a lot of problems - its performance doesn't impress me, and the UI is confusing in a lot of ways, and splitting SMS/Conversations is something that really disappointed me, but still - it has the full featureset. I mean obviously, it suffers from the fact that it's heavily tied to Google accounts, which isn't ideal for trying to reach outside of the Google sphere. But otherwise, it does everything.

So why doesn't it get more love from Google?

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

#357

Post by buro9 »

Does not seem to work with Google Apps account.

Which makes the list:

* Allo

* Google Fi

* Google Play Music Family Plan

* Google Play Store Family Sharing

* Google Spaces

* Google Trips

* YouTube Red

* YouTube Music

It's a growing list.

I'm always amused by the "One account. All of Google" header on the login pages. Google Apps accounts do not grant access to all of Google as the products do not work for it (it's not a permissions thing the domain admin can fix).

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

#358

Post by CaptSpify »

kodt wrote: post #321
mstade wrote: post #306

You know what I really need? A new messaging app, so people can complain more about me not using whatever messaging app they're using. I'm not saying that email and sms/mms don't have flaws, but at least I don't have to consider whether the recipient of my message has whatever random app is popular today. Have we seen the end of wide spread open protocols, because huge tech corporations are hell bent on controlling c…

I can see how these apps can take off with kids, who are in school and see each-other every day.. so there can be some coordination on what app to use. But for me, I don't see how I could use anything other than email/sms and expect someone else to use it.

I think kids too, aren't tired: I've probably tried >50 messaging systems, from irc to aim to msn messenger to hangouts. After a while, you just get tired of trying rehashes of the same thing, and want one that communicates with everyone. We had things like Pigeon, but companies keep closing off their systems to force you to have one app/program per system.

Eventually you get tired of trying new ones, and just go back to the reliable ones that work with everybody.

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

#359

Post by Pxtl »

Bedon292 wrote: post #261
TuringNYC wrote: post #254

Not sure how common this is, but everyone at both school and work these days shifts seamlessly from mobile to dekstop and back. This has been one of the main reasons we tend to use WhatsApp and Slack, even for corporate communications as silly as that sounds -- because you can type long messages on it on the keyboard/desktop but also have access to it on the go. What I don't understand is -- given Allo had a blank sl…

Definitely doesn't make sense. I use hangouts constantly. It is my default app for SMS and chatting with family. I like having one consistent thread between different desktop devices, as well as mobile. Yes Slack has replaced it for work, but that's no good for family, at least not mine. Until this has desktop support there is no reason for me to buy in. Why not have (one of) the most important feature of hangouts (a…

> I like having one consistent thread between different desktop devices, as well as mobile.

Too bad they killed SMS history combining.

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

#360

Post by camillomiller »

notatoad wrote: post #19
Waterluvian wrote: post #10

Why isn't it always end to end encryption? I'm getting really paranoid and crochety in my old age of 29, as all I see is a tool to make me the product.

it's not always-on end-to-end encryption because the standout feature is the google assistant. literally the whole selling point of the app is that google is always listening in. If you want google's assistant to not be continually monitoring your conversations, then allo is definitely not the app for you.

Extending functionality with third party sandboxed apps, without any @something hoopla to call a pseudo-intelligent assistant, is much more secure and even more functional in my opinion. (i.e. iMessage).
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