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Allo and Duo — Google’s new smart messaging and video calling apps
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@vm4canvasflip @rrhoover not what it "should have been." what it should be, for Android. iMessage pushed the boundaries of the day back then. Apple should be thinking and working on some big updates to messaging and video/voice for iOS 10. if not, it's a huge missed opportunity.
@rrhoover What's the thinking to offer: Allo + Duo, Hangouts, Youtube In-App Messaging, & Spaces? I guess Google wants to give you enough options so you're not tied to one, but how do you know what your friends will actually use lol?
@nyactor I see it beneficial to have a private video with anyone. iOS users can easily video chat like face time with Android. I've missed so many moments having an iOS extended family..
If true this will be a real game changer. No more "you there? I can hear you, can you see me?"
"Duo is a simple, fast one-to-one video calling app for everyone—whether you’re on Android or iOS, ***a fast or slow connection, in New York or New Delhi*** "
@gollyjer It kinda seems like this is too good to be true. A lot of the issues with buffering and stuff were due the underlying network software. But if any company can get over that hurdle it's Google.
@delsig I agree. The cellular network, the device hardware, the home wifi... these all screw up many a video conversation. Will be interesting to see how these apps respond.
If this doesn't integrate SMS, it's dead on arrival. iMessage is so widely used because you don't need to do anything. No app to download, nothing to setup, no convincing your friends to get anything, it just seamlessly integrates regular SMS conversations and more advanced iMessage conversations into the same experience.
This is nothing more than WhatsApp with Google search built in. I'm really hoping RCS messaging takes over, because as much as I love Google, they're utterly incompetent when it comes to messaging.
Just how many different ways of messaging does Google need? Seems it'll have almost as many messaging methods as there are versions of Android in use.
@frassmith i just hope it's integrated in the Andriod os so we can use it here in china.. if it's a playstore none of our Chinese friends will be able to get it :(
ps: any idea how to block xxxx.163.com from daily spamming my imessages ? drives me nuts as i get two or three casino spams a day :(
@tony_anastasi I'm not that bothered about any Google messaging app. With Google blocked, the friction involved in using them far outweighs the benefits.
I feel for you on the 163.com spam. I took a pretty drastic solution and disabled iMessage on my devices. Luckily most of my mobile messaging here is on WeChat anyway so I had need for iMessage.
@tony_anastasi @frassmith Try disabling iMessages based on your phone numbers. Could be tricky, but worth a try. And if you're using China Mobile, just tap "Cancel" when prompting you to activate iMessage phone numbers.
I wondering, why "Duo" is a separate app and not just a feature of Hangouts? Hangout already have a brand and user base.
Google in the messaging space with Allo and Duo
I like the preview video feature. I'm going to use it as a mini-audition to whether I want to pick up the phone, depending on your mood; hungover - yes, crying - no, drunk - no, laughing your head off - yes.
For future use Allo, Im more of a haha kind of guy :)
@bentossell but what if someone is genuinely busy and you see someone trying to get your attention? Won't you just feel like a terrible person?
@calum_webb @bentossell I think that is the idea of knock knock. You can let them know you are busy.. Or are you meaning if you choose to ignore completely?
@lauriedesautels @bentossell I mean see someone "knock knocking" and then purposefully hanging up
@calum_webb @lauriedesautels yeh I mean ignoring completely if I'm not in the mood ha
Cool color scheme. Just noticed the 'love the daisy' button auto reply. Image detection.
And of course a sad news for the Duo security company for the name confusion and consequent rankings in the search engines
It's exciting to see Google trying to get back in the game of communication apps. The spaces app is really cool so really looking forward to trying out these two!
This is awesome. Totally next level of chat bot. What's new about this is human <> bot <> human. Using bot to add more context to human to human chat.
Existing chat bot is human <> bot. You can only talk to bot.
Google really sucks at naming stuff. I dont even an iPhone but saying FaceTime me versus Duo me or Hangouts me or call me on Hangouts. Better 3 letter or less alternatives...Sea, DM, Flo, Gem, etc
Yo! Super cool video preview feature... helps you to get in a better shape before you answer :) If your partner is calling you and looks mad, you would know that before you speak, super useful.
Although both apps seem very interesting, what should I do with Hangouts? I can imagine myself using Duo, it's different and better/faster, and for the few times I need video calling, being simply better/faster is all that's needed. But with Allo, I am not getting how will I convince everyone to join yet another messaging app. Maybe if it comes installed instead of the SMS app on Android, like iMessage does, and very well, then people wouldn't even think they were using sms or IM, and not worrying with accounts nor any other thing. Otherwise:
"Hey guys you gotta see this new app!" "what's it for?" "messaging..." "but I already have Whatsapp, viber, telegram, fb messenger, slack, god ol' SMS, hangouts..." "yeah.. but this has like.. a google thingy... that suggests stuff... and automatic stuff..." "ok... is it encrypted?" "not really, it's kinda of opt-in. My guess that google thingy does not work when messages are encrypted." "oh... so... let's use whatsapp?" "yeah I guess..."
Yeah, I'm thrilled with Allo, but the average non-product-hunt user won't care.
Hard to see in which way Allo and Duo are better than iMessage and FaceTime. I'm not saying Apple's apps are great (far from it) but beyond the gimmicks of finding a restaurant right in the Allo app (such a First World Problem cliché), they need to offer something really compelling to muster enough traction beyond geeks and nerds. Google hasn't had a great track record in shipping truly useful apps in a long while so I'm not holding my breath for those 2 apps. Wait & see.
@rfreling althought the Gboard seems to be getting a great reception - and not only in the tech world
@bentossell @rfreling Did they mention if gboard will be available to Android today?
@bentossell @rfreling Come on Ben you know how to set up a different Apple ID with a New York hotel address don't you??! Or is it just me that was that desperate to get it 😃
@rfreling Agree, especially after all these years the video/audio quality of FaceTime & FT Audio still blow competitors out of water. But they're getting stale and some disruptions are absolute welcome.
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