Skip to main content

Google’s new chat app Allo has updates on the way, including potential Duo integration

Google‘s latest messaging app, Allo, may have been just released, but it has already met its fair share of criticism, with people mainly pointing out its lack of features and the generally scarce interest in switching to a different app that friends and family may not use. However, it seems that things will indeed change in the foreseeable future…

When the much anticipated Allo finally began its staged rollout yesterday, the social media-friendly Justin Uberti — one of the leaders of Google’s engineering team behind Allo and Duothanked everyone who “understood that this is a v1.0 product”, hinting that it would improve “every few weeks”.

And, indeed, the vocal Google fanbase didn’t linger much before giving feedback, with ideas deemed as “really good suggestions” by Uberti himself. Among those, apparently, is Allo’s startling lack of an audio calling feature — included in popular apps like WhatsApp, among others — especially considering that its dedicated companion app, Duo, essentially does just that.

Duo is actually a video calling app, technically, but the convenience of audio calling in situations where video is not practical should not be left unconsidered, and apparently Uberti thinks so as well. When suggested by Twitter user Cyril Lucas that Allow get either Duo integration or a proper, in-built function, the Googler said “absolutely”.

Now, it would certainly have been weird for the Allo team not to realize this by themselves, and chances are that the feature may already be in the works, and was held back simply because it wasn’t ready for launch. However, Uberti’s “confirmation” is indeed encouraging, and will hopefully mean that we’re not even that far from being able to call other people with Allo.

As things stand, in fact, the app is a pretty barebones experience, which despite being riddled with stickers and text-resizing-on-the-go features, has pretty much nothing compelling enough to convince people to switch to it. With no desktop client and the service limited to just one device, you can only go so far — almost literally —, no matter how smart Google Assistant is.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Edoardo Maggio

Italian. Tech geek, video games, photography and music lover, comics-based movies enthusiast, and a sucker for good design. Amateur photographer (VSCO, 500px), writer and reporter for 9to5Google.


Edoardo Maggio's favorite gear

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications