Google’s long-awaited ‘Allo’ messaging app is going to launch later this week, apparently.
The new messenger, which was announced at Google I/O back in May, was originally pegged for release in summer 2016 – a deadline now missed. But prolific tipster and journalist Evan Blass now claims that the app will go live this week, and even tweeted “9/21” as the prospective date – that’s Wednesday.
Google Allo is an instant messaging mobile app that will be available on both Android and iOS. It features several smart functions, most of which come courtesy of Google Assistant, a new virtual helper based on Google Now that offers similar functionality to Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana.
Other features include a ‘Smart reply’ function that uses Google’s machine learning technology to suggest several replies to messages that you receive. There’s also an incognito mode that features security features like private notifications, expiring chats, and end-to-end encryption. And then there’s ‘Whisper Shout’, which lets you increase or decrease the physical size of a message to represent volume.
One of the main differences between Allo and Google’s existing Hangouts messenger is that the former links to a user’s phone number, rather than their Google Account. That means it’s directly competing with messenger titans like WhatsApp, and Apple’s iMessage.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that Allo will launch on Wednesday, so take this latest leak with due caution.
