Rumor: Google Allo and Duo to Come Preinstalled in Android Nougat

The Google I/O 2016 gave birth to two more messaging apps from Google – Allo and Duo – to add to the several apps it already offers in this field, which are led by Google Hangouts.

At the time of their announcement, Google only showcased what these apps are here to do, following them with a beta version for each case. However, until now, the stable versions of the Google Allo and Duo apps have yet to make their way to the public. Apparently, Google said that the apps will be here somewhere this summer, but there is no specific date as yet, just like what is happening with Android Nougat.

Google Allo and Duo are two apps with two different messaging goals, but there are some similarities in the end. Similarities and differences aside, the main question here is where will these two apps find their home, especially with Google Hangouts deeply integrated into almost every Google service?

According to the latest reports coming from Reddit, a self-proclaimed Google Allo and Duo beta tester claims that the two apps will come preinstalled in the upcoming Android Nougat OS. In fact, the Redditors further claim that Allo is simply a codename that means messaging. It is believed that the upcoming Google Allo app will be used to exchange SMS messages, just like Google Hangouts lets users do so. The difference here is that while Allo comes with this feature integrated deep right from scratch, Hangouts received it as an update and apparently, it will also lose it via an update.

It has also been noted that some Android builds have been receiving the Google Allo as “Messaging” which further confirms the idea of Allo being a mere codename. It gets even more interesting as the Google Play Store URL for pre-registering Google Allo has the phrase “Fireball,” which could also mean anything. But why would Google announce a different name for a product, give it a new name during its testing phase and name it completely different when it is finally announced? This simply doesn’t add up, but for sure, what makes sense is that making Google Allo the default messaging app on Android is a long shot for the search engine giant, which can only be achieved after a long time.