Despite having multiple messaging apps, Allo is the app Google markets most for consumer chats. While it does have a web interface, it must first be signed in through the phone app and must remain in constant communication with the handset. Thankfully, Googler Justin Uberti gives us hope that this will change soon.
Uberti is a principal engineer at Google who works on Allo while also being the creator/lead engineer of Duo. Earlier this month, as seen in the embedded tweets below, he was asked if the search giant planned to move Allo to the cloud.
This request stems from the need to keep that constant connection between the phone app and the web interface. If Allo is closed on the companion phone or the device stops it from running in the background, the web app will no longer work.
In Uberti’s tweet, he confirms that Google is already working on moving Allo’s backend system so that it can support “completely independent devices.” No word yet on if this means the chat system will still be tied to your phone number or some other type of authentification process.
9to5Google’s take
One of the biggest complaints we hear about Allo is that the messaging app doesn’t support SMS. While this doesn’t fix that complaint, it is a step forward in allowing users to chat with the app on any device they want.
This change could also mean that Google is removing the need to tie your Allo account to your phone number. We know the company is working on incorporating RCS into the Messages app, so maybe this is the first step towards that future.
Either way, it’s pretty clear that Google is working hard to convince users to use Allo. It still might not be as robust as Apple’s iMessage, but at least this migrating process of the service’s backend should make it more user-friendly.
What do you think about it? Let us know in the comment section below.
Yes, we are in the process of migrating the backend system to support completely independent devices.
— Justin Uberti (@juberti) March 8, 2018
Via Droid-Life
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