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Google Allo picks up improved Assistant integration, animated emoji on Android and iOS

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Despite the fact that it’s not Google’s most popular messaging service, the company continues to improve Allo. The service has improved a lot since it first debuted last year, and things are only looking to get better with future updates. Today, though, Google is announcing some new enhancements to Allo…

First and foremost, Allo is getting further integration with Google Assistant in this latest update. In each chat thread, Google Assistant is now available to be summoned with just the tap of a button. From there, users can ask it queries regarding things like weather, movie showtimes, and much more. The new shortcut button is available next to the send option.

Then, there’s improved GIF search through a library located directly inside of Allo. By tapping the sticker shortcut button, Allo users can cycle through the stickers they use most often, and also access a GIF library with an extra swipe which will show GIFs that the user searches for.

Also added to the sticker bar is a new emoji picker. From here, users will be able to add emoji to their conversations quickly, but with an added twist. Along with being able to change the size of emoji, Google has made a handful of emoji compatible with a new animation feature. Not every emoji is compatible with this, but Google suggests trying , , , , or  among the 10 currently supported.

These new features are available to Allo users on Android starting today and will be rolling out to iOS “soon.”

 

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