On point as usual Should 've just improved Hangouts

[G+_L I]

On point as usual. Should've just improved Hangouts.

 

Originally shared by JR Raphael

 

Getting at the root of why Allo exists -- and why it feels so inconsequential:

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3123073/mobile-wireless/google-allo.html

[G+_Clarence Dick]

I have several messaging apps on my phone and PC. What we desperately need is a single app that works for everyone.

 

Hangouts was the closest to this, it has windows and chrome clients so it would work from most phones, tablets, PC's, and likely Macs. Since it wasn't tied to a phone number it would work from another device while your phone was offline. They tried SMS integration but it wasn't a smart system where it could auto select between SMS or Hangout message based on the recipient.

 

Whatsapp is good but being tied to a phone number means it doesn't work on a tablet. And the web client still requires a connected phone. If they would not require a phone number and allow an email address, they would be real close to a winner. They have the users to be a winner, but their connection to facebook makes me want to run away.

 

Facebook Messenger - no idea, I won't do facebook.

 

iMessage - I think this is a good system but it excludes everyone who feels trapped inside Apples closed world.

 

Allo uses a phone number so no good for tablets and no PC client so even if your in front of your computer you still get to type on your little phone keyboard. And give it a year and google will abandon it.

 

What we need is an App with the good features from each of these.

-Uses an email address as the primary account address so that any device can connect.

-Smart switching to SMS so that if you are out of data coverage or your recipient is not using this App then it can send messages via SMS or maybe email.

-Send pictures, videos, locations.

-Request or track another users location.

-Voice Calls

-Voice messages - with transcription so I can read someones voice message instead of listening to it if I want.

-See message status: sent to server, delivered to device, read on device.

-Any of these features would work with individuals or groups.

-An API so developers can use it to send/receive messages from other apps and systems.

-Some way to control spam, but still allow automated systems to send me messages I want to get like weather alerts. Google has this pretty well worked out for Gmail.

-Seems odd but an assistant to help me with my messages wasn't in this list.

 

I think this is all a dream, because of the SMS integration required, I think Apple would have to work with Google to make this happen and that is pretty unlikely.

 

What features do you see as important in a messaging app?

[G+_L I]

Sadly I think the closest to a full-featured, privacy-conscious messaging system with SMS fallback and username/email IDs is iMessage. If Apple would just get off their high horse and create Android and Windows versions they could dominate. Failing that, I'm afraid we're going to be left with a bunch of compromised choices.

[G+_Matt Wells]

Allo has gotten a rough launch. I saw one article where someone was commenting that it's not exactly fair and I can definitely see the argument in that. It's positioned itself as a competitor to WhatsApp and other straight messenger tools. If you look at it just that way it's a good product, and that's exactly how they sold it to us at Google I/O. However that's not what the Android Community wanted, we really wanted a challenger to imessage. Just my opinion

[G+_Clarence Dick]

Thinking about Apple and Google and the carriers co-operating on a messaging platform, I was thinking about the iPhone 7 and Apple "courageously" abandoning the headphone jack. What if they had instead abandoned both the headphone jack and the lightning connector and put in a USB-C connector, what would the world be like if Apple could play nicely with others?

[G+_Pradyumn Vij]

For an all in one there is Hangouts. I've enjoyed playing with Allo and surprisingly found that that my brother had picked it up within a few hours of launch (usually he takes months to change). I like that Allo doesn't force you to send requests to people but just launches the appropriate application (little thing but cool). I actually found the google Assistant pretty great.

 

My main gripe with it is storing all data for non-incognito chats and not having Google Assistant in incognito chats, that is a deal breaker for a good experience, without the Google Assistant, I might as well continue with WhatsApp and Telegram. Leaving Messenger for the masses who refuse to leave the Facebook bubble.

 

Clarence Dick if Apple played nice with everyone they would have gone bankrupt because they don't know how to innovate. Literally everything they make, hardware or software is a copy with added Apple specific compatibility only allow them to patent technology and claim to have invented it.

e.g.

iTunes lossless audio file "ALAC" (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), is a FLAC file (FREE Lossless Audio Codec) with a different header. The few friends of mine who use iPhones run them in a constantly jailbroken state to get Android functionality.

 

iMessage is actually just terrible though. The underlying network software (how packets are encrypted) is not written correctly (something you learn in your first Networks unit at University - they sign then encrypt rather than the other way round) and there are current open exploits so nothing is properly end to end encrypted.

[G+_L I]

Clarence Dick they'd never give up on lightning on the iPhone because they get license fees for every third party lightning product. I feel that's the real reason for getting rid of headphones. Tim Cook has continued to squeeze blood from the stone with this product.