The New Avatar of Google’s Allo

This is the time of fierce competition between instant messengers. Each platform is trying to bring innovative technology and features to make some headway into the mobile phones of users across the globe. There is another emerging trend in this war of messengers: the need to go beyond a single device. So, mobile phone messengers are not tied to mobile devices only. They can expand into the desktop space, like WhatsApp did some months ago.

Now Google is trying to go to the big screen, so to say, with its Allo chat messenger. Let’s admit beforehand that Allo was a virtual non-starter in the mobile phone chat scenario! It never took off, what with the bulk of mobile messaging taken up by WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. For video chats, there’s Skype as well. Cutting into this space is proving to be very difficult for Google. They are working hard on Allo, but with mixed feedback from users.

Now Google is taking Allo to desktops as well, merging the use of this instant messenger on mobile devices and desktops. Along with Allo, the virtual assistant developed by Google and which is built-in on Allo, is also launching on desktops. As of now, Google is using it as an add-on feature with Chrome. There is no limitations of it being used only on Windows or other operating systems. As a Chrome extension, it can work across OSs.

Google’s virtual assistant will help in chats with your friends as well as instructions directed to itself. Specific and further details are not part of an official announcement on Twitter by Nick Fox, the VP of Communication Products at Google. It remains to be seen the template of the launch window, among other specifics. Maybe we will be wiser when the launch date gets closer.