Google simply doesn’t get it, does it ? The instant messaging arena is just not Google’s game to play, and the internet giant has once again provided a confirmation of that itself.
Allo, the IM app that Google launched only a couple years back (Sep-2016) will soon be dead. While the company had already ceased work on the service earlier this year, it has now announced that it’ll close down Allo in March of next year.
In a blog post, Matt Klainer, Google’s VP of communication products said,
Allo will continue to work through March 2019 and until then, you’ll be able to export all of your existing conversation history from the app.
Klainer further adds, that “We’ve learned a lot from Allo, particularly what’s possible when you incorporate machine learning features, like the Google Assistant, into messaging”. Clearly, the learning has come in a pretty hard way.
So why exactly is Google doing that ? Well, the company says, that it wants “every single Android device to have a great default messaging experience”. Now while I — as an Android user — will definitely want that to happen some day, but that clearly hasn’t happened yet. The realisation kicks in even more when you see iOS folks with the slick iMessage experience they get.
The future ? Allo and its features will soon see their way to the default Messages app in Android. Google has also already started working on RCS (Rich Communication Services), an enhanced SMS standard that could allow iMessage like communication between Android devices.
Google will now put its communication focus to servicing enterprise clients via Hangouts.The company says, it has got “great adoption with both among our G Suite customers” when it comes to the newly introduced Hangouts chat, Hangouts meet and the 100 people conversation features. It will continue to work on making Hangouts a more enterprise focused product — a Slack competitor to be precise.
In related news, work on Google Duo will continue. Duo still has seen an increased adoption, pushed by Google’s aggressive marketing of the product and a smooth video calling experience. The simplicity of the app also gives it a lead. This year the company launched Duo support for iPad, Android Tablet, Chromebook, and Smart Displays. This was coupled with the ability to leave a video message.
Meanwhile, lets say this for yet another Google IM product.. R.I.P. Allo.
