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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

#441

Post by Rebelgecko »

jeppebemad wrote: post #379
janvidar wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want Facebook Messenger, and the Facebook app cannot be uninstalled on my device since it came preinstalled with the Android OS on it (HTC One - it can however be disabled). Now, if someone uses Facebook Messenger to send me a message, my Facebook app will notify me about unread messages - I've disabled most notifications, but the icon still gets a number increase indicating messages that can be read. These m…

For me at least, the messenger is still working on Facebook.com, also on messenger.com. I'm sure it does for you too?

Here's what I get when I try to view my messages in the browser on my phone: http://m.imgur.com/oSuv6NH

If you force the desktop version of the page it works, but is awkward. Instead I use a web wrapper that has some other nice features, like showing me my messages with formatting that scales well to my phone's screen size

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

#442

Post by fharper1961 »

kbenson wrote: post #428
TuringNYC wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, good point -- forgot to mention that. That is a 3rd widely-available option across all three silos (Android/iOS/Desktop).

Yet apparently not business accounts. You can use the integrated hangouts in gmail, and the phone apps, but hangouts.google.com says it's not an enabled app for your account, and I can't seem to find where it's available to enable/add in the admin console (that is, I can find where to enable and add apps, but it isn't listed, and I'm a super admin). The Apps marketplace has third party apps, but that's not what I'm l…

hangouts.google.com is enabled on my business account. I didn't enable it, so I can't tell you how it was done. Only that it's possible.

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

#443

Post by Sargos »

Mizza wrote: post #91
chias wrote: post #81

I really wish they wouldn't overload terms that they themselves invented. In Chrome, "incognito" means we don't save your local history, but it does not add to the transport security. Here, "incognito" means you've got end-to-end encryption (and presumably also doesn't save local history). Why on earth would you re-use the same term when naming two things with similar (thus easily confused) consumer-visible attribute…

The worst was "Off the Record", which, for an XMPP service, didn't mean the "Off the Record" encryption protocol, it means "we don't log messages to your own email inbox." It's another dark pattern from an unscrupulous company.

I doubt anyone has ever confused the two. "Off the record" is a well known phrase in our culture. The "off the record" protocol is not very well known.

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

#444

Post by x2f10 »

Google is the kid who accomplishes little despite having a genius IQ as he's unable to focus.

Google needs to build a single messaging application (ala iMessage) into Android, Gmail, Google Docs, etc. Then, once that's done, support the messaging app on all mobile platforms.

Most people outside the tech world do not even know what iMessage is, but they use it daily. That is how integrated it is into Apple products - perfect. Google can do this on a much larger scale, but chooses, instead, to focus on pet projects they'll lay out to pasture in 12 months.

APPL and AMZN are going to eat Google's lunch.

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

#445

Post by chadlavi »

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…

This. I think my fiancée has decided she wants to use Allo for text messages now, and I am not excited to have to add some new number for her in my phone and deal with weird looking text messages from her all the time. Allo is just another also-ran solution trying to find a problem.

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

#446

Post by tw04 »

CoryG89 wrote: post #366
sbarre wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh.. I had never looked at Duo and I scrolled down the landing page and saw "Preview incoming video calls before accepting them" and now I want FaceTime and Skype to immediately integrate that.. That's a killer feature..

Maybe it's just me, but I kind of find this a bit creepy. It seems to me that it would be similar if the phone companies allowed you to listen to someone calling you while it was still ringing for them. Maybe it's not quite what I am thinking though. I can't tell if the video preview is live or if it's something recorded before the call is made.

The person calling is the one who is being previewed. As the caller you can disable it if you don't like the feature.

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

#447

Post by kevinh »

tjl wrote: post #223
Guzba wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Google Assistant integration is arguably the killer feature of the app. End-to-end encryption would delete it, thus it is not the default.

But, they could have it encrypted except when you explicitly message the assistant. They can also get the full text of the conversation on-device and do the machine learning on it. After all, Apple is doing it for photos, so text should be easier.

I think context-switching in terms of privacy in the middle of a conversation is more risky than doing so between different conversations (ideally with different visuals) or especially between applications. For me, having to remember that certain comments within conversations are not private (especially when said comments are looping in something that's designed to provide context to previous comments) is more problematic than having to remember that certain conversations are not private.

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

#448

Post by nattaylor »

janvidar wrote: post #342
Tehnix wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Breaking facebook messenger out into its own app was the best decision facebook ever made! I chat via messenger a lot more than I check my newsfeed, and when I check my newsfeed I don't care about messages. Perfect split for me at least :)

I don't want Facebook Messenger, and the Facebook app cannot be uninstalled on my device since it came preinstalled with the Android OS on it (HTC One - it can however be disabled). Now, if someone uses Facebook Messenger to send me a message, my Facebook app will notify me about unread messages - I've disabled most notifications, but the icon still gets a number increase indicating messages that can be read. These m…

http://mbasic.facebook.com still has messages, which I was delighted to discover after having the same ongoing frustrations!

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

#449

Post by api »

Imagine walking around and conversing with a friend and a salesman is hanging just behind you, listening to everything you say, and interjecting carefully crafted comments and "advice" designed to modify your buying behavior in response to what you're talking about. He's also recording your conversation and may or may not give it to the government or his advertising clients.

That's this, basically.

No thanks.

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

#450

Post by falloutx »

protomok wrote: post #430
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…

+1 Once they add a Windows or Linux client I'll give Allo a try. To me it's a bit distracting to abruptly interrupt a coding session and pull out my phone. Lately I've been trying to minimize distractions and stay in a terminal or development IDE as much as possible. I mentally view distractions similar to latency when accessing memory, something like: Look up info in terminal or IDE - comments within code, man pages…

faved this.
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