It's
been about 3 months since Google released its new video calling app,
Duo, and just under two months since Allo, its new messaging app, was
released. These two services were a pretty big deal at Google I/O
earlier this year, but despite the intriguing features of both apps,
skepticism was prevalent - even among enthusiasts - considering Google's
history of support (or lack thereof) for their other messaging
services, namely Google Talk (RIP) and Hangouts.
So how are things going a few months after the fact?
I wrote about my initial impressions of both. I was, and remain, pleasantly surprised by Duo.
If you're looking for a no-frills video call app, Duo is an
exceptionally simple choice. I've already recommended Duo to a couple of
people who have downloaded it and agreed that its simplicity is an
appealing factor, and have even kept it. I don't do much video calling
myself, but when I do I use Duo when I can.
Allo,
on the other hand, I'm not as happy with. I'm willing to adopt new
messaging platforms if they're ultimately better than the one that I'm
using. I've written a couple of times how I've become fond of Textra
since returning to Android back in May, which is the app that I continue
to use today. Allo had potential – and I guess it still has potential –
but without SMS support or a desktop client, it just won't catch on.
Well,
I guess I can't say it doesn't support SMS. It technically does, but in
an extremely annoying way. When you send an SMS to a friend who isn't
using Allo, they're pandered to download the app each time you send a
text. I wasn't about to keep dealing with that, so texting people with
Allo is currently out of the question. Allo developers have hinted that
they could be adding SMS support in the future, along with a desktop
client, Duo integration, and some other features that really should have
been there from the get-go. Today, Google announced that they would
add themes and sticker predictions (you know, the important stuff). As a messaging app, Allo is a flop.
Despite its shortcomings, Allo isn't completely useless.
Allo is currently the only way for most Android users to access the
Google Assistant, which I found to be quite enjoyable. However, I'm more
excited at the prospect of Google Assistant being integrated into
Android rather than going through Allo, like it is on Pixel devices.
I'm
torn. I do like Duo, but I wanted to like both Duo and Allo. I wanted a
messaging system on Android that made me stop missing iMessage, and
Google's current iteration of Duo and Allo simply don't do that for me.
There's a good chance that the apps flourish and are unified in time,
but I'm just not sure I can put that kind of faith in Google yet. I
loved where Hangouts was heading once upon a time, but instead of
working on fixing it issues, Google went in a completely different
direction that ultimately ended up in the company supporting three
different messaging apps. Not only do we have Hangouts and Allo, but
there's also Google Messenger, which is currently working on rolling out RCS (Rich Communication Services). There's just a lot going on, and none of it is unified, nor does it make much sense.
I
suppose it is nice that Duo and Allo are currently separate apps,
because I likely would not care for Duo if I had to use it with Allo in
its current state. I'll continue to use Duo for video calls, but when it
comes to messaging I'm going to pass on Allo and Messenger and stick
with Textra, who is also (thankfully) working on implementing RCS and
has plenty of other features that I enjoy.
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