Way back in May 2016, the tech giant Google announced the release of two new messaging and voice calling apps during the Google I/O.
Both apps have some interesting features that allow you to do more than sending or receiving messages and participating in video calls. While the new messaging service is named as Google Allo, the video service is known as Google Duo. Even as Google Allo is slated for a summer release, the Google Duo made its way to the masses about a month earlier. At the Google I/O the giant announced that these apps are expected to give WhatsApp and FaceTime stiff competition.
Google Allo
This upcoming app from Google offers much more than mere messaging. While the app makes conversations easy, they also turn out to be more expressive and productive. Using the company’s advanced and complex neural network and search engine, you can use this smart assistant to help you out with a table reservation at your favorite restaurant, booking a show for a movie, keeping a tab on your flight details and access to your favorite photos or scheduled tasks, apart from many others. In other words, a single app helps you perform the function of many apps.
The key point to be noted is that it is perfectly safe to use Google Allo because of its end-to-end encryption and private notifications support. Three features that need special mention are Smart Reply, Whisper Shout and Ink. They actually have a lot of interesting functions that can help you get the best out of your messages.
Using Smart Reply can actually help you save a lot of time when you have to respond to a message. This feature anlayzes incoming posts and pictures, and offers automatic options that serve as appropriate responses. You can take your pick from these responses. The feature studies each response of yours in depth and will soon provide you with recommendations in your own style. All you have to do is to select your favorite message and Smart Reply will send it across for you. This saves you the hassle of having to type out a message and being apprehensive of possible grammar and spelling mistakes.
With Whisper Shout, you will not have to toggle between capital letters and lowercase letters. A deft swipe does the trick and also allows you to alter the font size. On the other hand, with the Ink feature of Google Allo, you can play about with the photos that you want to get across before sending them. Moreover, this feature integrates various stickers designed by independent artists and studios all over the world exclusively for the app to add fun to the conversations.
Google Duo
Interestingly, the Google Duo launched as a free app before its Allo counterpart and has been made available simultaneously on both Android and iOS platforms. The giant has designed this app keeping just one purpose in mind – one-on-one mobile video calls. If you think that this is what Hangouts is for, then Google Duo presents two distinct features to differentiate itself. Firstly, while Hangouts relies solely on your Google account to make or receive calls, the Duo app makes use of only your phone number and is in no way linked with your Gmail ID. Secondly, like Allo, the video calling app is encrypted making it impossible for even Google to check on your conversations. Simple as it may appear, Duo has one feature that could prove to be particularly useful if you receive a call from a person in your contacts list. When such a person calls you, the app makes use of a knock knock feature that makes a door knocking sound on your screen to give you a video preview of the caller. This is similar to peeping through the peep hole of the door when you hear a knock. You can disable this feature any time you want to, but it is usually preferable to have it activated so that you can know whom and what to be prepared for. Moreover, this live preview can add to the fun and personal experience. Also, deciding on whether to accept or reject a call is solely at your discretion.
Videos are displayed in 720p HD format and are quite crisp and clear. Google Duo automatically switches between a mobile network and Wi-Fi based on signal strength for best optimum results.