Google's ‘Allo’ To Take Down Whatsapp And FB Messenger: Here Are The Complete Specs, Privacy Concerns

Google introduced its new messaging app 'Allo' yesterday at the red-hot mobile chatting market. With this new artificial intelligence-powered app, Google seeks to take down its popular rivals- WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

According to the Official Blog, the App has a Google Assistant included in it that will hop in midst of conversations with best recommendations just as the user types something like, "Want to get Caviar?" The AI has the ability to send weather updates or cricket scores and can also suggest what to reply to your friends' messages. It's like having your 'BFF' right by your side whenever you need him. The idea behind is to keep the conversation going, so you don't have to leave the App to look for something else.

Google's free chat App is getting released just a week after Apple updated its own Messages app. Allo is currently coming for iPhones and Android phones, but not yet for tablets. Now, After Allo do you really need another chat app? Here are a few features that'll help you decide:

Pros

Smart Replies: Allo can suggest replies based on your friend's context and you wouldn't even need to type it. For instance, If someone asks how you're, you can just tap on "Good tnx." Allo has some preserved shortcuts like "u" for "you." Well, of course, the user is free to type their own response. You can shut down the Google's AI by enabling incognito mode.

Personal Assistant: Google Assistant can make suggestions and retrieve information about nearby restaurants and even Movie Timings. Everyone in the chat will be able to see the Assistant's suggestions and can make their choices. As Reservations through the App are not yet available, Google is considering third-party integrations for such accommodations. Asking for directions in the App will bring up Google Maps.

Expressions: Plain text sometimes feels boring, so the new App has a slider that can make your texts and emojis larger. There are also hundreds of stickers specifically designed for the Allo app.
A limitation with the app is that your friends need to have the same app to see the effect.

Cons

Limited Smartness: The app's intelligence is still quite limited. Though the Assistant is an evolution of the already existing Google Now feature, it doesn't do as much as the latter App. In case a friend asks you about your flight Timings, Allo won't suggest a reply, although Google has the user's calendar. Google has called its Assistant just a preview. After its debut on the Allo app, it is to arrive on a smart speaker named 'Google Home' coming fall.

Privacy Concerns: To make the aforementioned features more useful, Google will keep your messages indefinitely on its servers until you manually remove them. Google acknowledged this on Wednesday that Allo's Smart Reply technology will work better if it had more details of the user's messages to draw info from, reports Cnet.com.

Google's Hangouts text and video calling services have been targeted for business users. Allo is for consumers but it won't offer video calling. According to Google, conversations in Allo will be encrypted and additional privacy will also be offered with an "incognito" mode. The App can be downloaded from the respective stores.