First things first, I have to acknowledge Google for never giving up on trying to figure out their place in the world of messaging. However, between all of their attempts at messaging environments and tools, It would seem that they just can’t put their finger on what they want to be or what they want to do.
Here are the messaging apps I have installed on my iPhone right now: Line, KakaoTalk, Facebook Messenger, HipChat, WeChat, Hangouts, and Allo. That’s not even counting Duo, FaceTime, Skype, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or iMessage, which all deal with messaging in some form or fashion. My point here is that Google needed to bring something to the table with Allo to stand out and, at very least, come packed with features that I already get from all these other apps I have installed. The reality is that Allo doesn’t really bring anything new to the table and even lacks basic features.
So what do you get with Allo? You get a messaging app that attaches to your phone number, uses you data connection to send messages, like Line or WhatsApp, can send SMS, but with “install Allo” messages attached, a load of cool, new stickers to send to your friends, and the ability to have secure chats. What you don’t get is the one thing that I, and a lot of people, wanted from Allo: in-browser / desktop support.
That’s right. You can only use Allo on your phone. Sure, I can connect my Gmail account to it, for a reason I don’t know yet. And sure, it has a “Google Assistant” built into all of my chats, that just can’t seem to get things right. However, if I want to quickly share a link between my browser and messaging app on my phone, I still have to look elsewhere, like to Facebook Messenger or iMessage.
To be honest, Allo is smooth and works well, and I’ve had an overall nice experience using it. I dig the colors, how it doesn’t crash a lot, the stickers, secure chats, and the Google Assistant (some times). Are these features enough for me to tell you to install the app? Not really.
My advice is to wait. I think I read somewhere that Google is working on browser support right now for Allo, and the fact that you can connect your Google account to the app seems to lend credit to this rumor. But until Google gets this figured out, this app really isn’t worth having on your phone when there are so many other messaging apps that all offer more or better features.
Come on, Google. Get your messaging game together.
