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Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

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Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#171

Post by mavhc »

Mahn wrote: post #163
elvirs wrote: post #94

Its shocking how Google is embarrassing itself with these incompatible chat apps released one after another and abandoned right after the release. GTalk Gmail Chat Google Voice Hangouts Android Messages Allo Duo for fucks sake Google, just copy Whatsapp but make it stored on cloud, not on the device, like FB Messenger. Enable account recovery using email in addition to sms and enable usernames or email in addition ph…

I think Google gave it a pretty good shot at competing with WhatsApp with Allo. The problem is that at the end of the day, the network effect is what matters with messaging. No matter how good the product, it doesn't matter if everyone I know doesn't use it as well. It's not an engineering question, it's a social one; a lot has to change to get people to switch from iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger today. Th…

Is it that hard?, you force every android phone maker to install it as the default SMS client, and if someone else is using it you use allo network instead, and if the user's paying for sms say "sent with allo for free!"

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#172

Post by mindcrime »

So, after all this time, the best approach to interoperable messaging is still XMPP. Google, carriers, etc. should just drop ALL of this non-standardized crapola, bundle an (optimized, efficient, well-written) XMPP client with Android and call it a day.

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#173

Post by mrybczyn »

bb88 wrote: post #45
underwater wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would any of those products get onboard, unless they’re already failing?

They wouldn't. And so I have to have 20 apps to chat with all my friends. And that makes me a sad panda.

I think I'm going to start a 21st app that implements a new protocol that unifies the other protocols...

https://xkcd.com/927/

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#174

Post by chocolatkey »

seabrookmx wrote: post #60
dandare wrote: post #21

I don't see a single reason to invest myself into Google messaging product once again. I was adamant gtalk/hangout user but you can only fuck me over so many times.

To be fair, the migration from Talk to Hangouts was pretty smooth, and Hangouts still works. Google gave up pushing Hangouts for consumers but I don't think it's going anywhere, as it's a big part of G-suite for corporate customers. Though with Slack and Discord I'm sure it's usage isn't as strong as it once was.

They gimped the hangouts extension with the great chats that would slide up on the screen and could be individually rearranged though and replaced it with the new useless "app". Now I either have to load inbox/gmail or hangouts.google.com, which loads slowly for something such as messaging

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#175

Post by sli »

chatmasta wrote: post #159
pilom wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the best features of using Google Fi as my cell provider is that I can still use Google Talk. Still works amazingly well and I can send text messages directly from Gmail or from my android phone. I love it.

I can do this and I don’t have project fi. I’ve got a google voice number from a long time ago, and I can text from that number via Hangouts in gmail or on mobile.

Yeah, same. Hell, as a kid, I'd use GVoice really often just to send texts when I had wifi but no cell signal, or had a device without cell service (like a tablet). Saved me a couple times when I was younger and, say, ran out of toilet paper.

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#176

Post by sli »

megaman22 wrote: post #127
nmcfarl wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow - infrastructure varies. Here in Eastern Oregon the pattern is pretty reliably that data and signal drop out at the same time, at least on Verizon which is the carrier with the best coverage. I really thought the pattern that you describe, which I've seen plenty of in the past, had just died out over time and tower upgrades.

I routinely see SMSs fail to deliver, deliver multiple times, deliver weirdly out of order, or deliver at random times, hours or days after they were sent. And this is in a relatively well-served area fifty miles out of Boston.

I still have the issue where MMS seems to just sometimes not work for days or even weeks on end, then suddenly start working again. No OS updates and no APN settings changes in the meantime. Normally it's not an issue, since I don't really use SMS all that much anymore, but my mother and I tend to send pictures back and forth a lot and she still uses SMS.

SMS itself usually works fine, but MMS is particularly bad.

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#177

Post by jayd16 »

moksha256 wrote: post #134

Didn't Google have messaging figured out with Google Talk? Everyone was on Gmail all day (as many still are) and people actually used it. Then they let it wither, came out with Hangouts, and it's been a downhill train wreck from there. Google Talk had the potential of being one of the biggest messengers in the world...they own Gmail and Android (!!!!!). Are you kidding me? There's really no good reason for them NOT t…

It's a pretty simple explanation. Google talk was XMPP which is just not a good mobile protocol.

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#178

Post by beegeezuz »

infonull wrote: post #167
exabrial wrote: post #87

The carriers are idiots. It's where innovation goes to die. We had to pull them kicking and screaming into the smart phone and data era. (Remember When AT&T sent a paper copy of every image you downloaded on your iPhone in a bill?) Quite frankly the core problem with Google's strategy is involving then at all. Instead, go the manufacturers and campaign against supporting sms at all . It's insecure, slow, unreliable,…

Agreed, SMS needs to stop being supported by handset vendors so people stops relying on it as the universal text platform. When a communication system silently drops messages, this is unacceptable. But people are ok with it because they're accustomed to it being shit. The sender wonders why you never responded, and you are unaware they contacted you. Or the sender asks if you want to meet for lunch, and you get it 8…

lol are you on drugs or something? never in the last 18 years or so have I experienced a single missed of failed txt message, if you live in the woods it doesn't matter what you use, your internet connectivity will drop too you know

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#179

Post by EwanToo »

mavhc wrote: post #171
Mahn wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Google gave it a pretty good shot at competing with WhatsApp with Allo. The problem is that at the end of the day, the network effect is what matters with messaging. No matter how good the product, it doesn't matter if everyone I know doesn't use it as well. It's not an engineering question, it's a social one; a lot has to change to get people to switch from iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger today. Th…

Is it that hard?, you force every android phone maker to install it as the default SMS client, and if someone else is using it you use allo network instead, and if the user's paying for sms say "sent with allo for free!"

If only allo actually supported SMS, which is the weirdest thing of it all...

Re: Google changes its messaging strategy again: Goodbye to Allo, double down on RCS

#180

Post by blibble »

vetinari wrote: post #135
blibble wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SMS supports delivery notifications, I think I've been using them for almost, if not 20 years I get a little display under the message saying 'delivered' in the standard android SMS app

That's another message that may or may not be lost, if it is checked at all. I've got my lesson about SMS reliability few years ago: I've bought a bus ticket via SMS, it was never delivered, but I got charged for it and the operator claimed that it was sent, when disputed. Except I've never received it, and couldn't ride the bus without it.

> That's another message that may or may not be lost, if it is checked at all.

that's a general problem with acknowledgements and is not specific to SMS

TCP is exactly the same

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