Certainly quite different than the state of Inbox. The service itself is still working as it has been and does what it's supposed to be doing. The web front-end gotten a redesign not too far back, and the iOS app gets updates. (I mean by that measure we can say Gmail is also in that state essentially, even though it's a fairly established service that many are using just fine and not something that will just suddenly randomly disappear in the near future.)
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Google Allo Shutting Down Next Year in Favor of Google's Main Messages App
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You just got done mentioning "Inbox" in the same breath...
Anyway, we could go back-and-forth about the merits of individual examples, but the fact of the matter is that Google shall give, and Google shall take away.
I'm haunted by the cringeworthy presentation when this was debuted and the guy demoing it said they're calling it Allo, as in how Brits say hello and proceeded to do an impression of a Brit saying hello. Ugh. I stopped watching. It was too painful.
That's certainly true, in particular when Google makes some newer and/or almost niche type of products that they kind of experiment with and then roll that technology in one way or another into an existing product that can benefit from it.
That aside, the earlier comments were basically to say that Google Voice appears to be very much alive and provides the same service as it did and even gets updated (to one degree or another). Certainly not something that's been discontinued officially (like Inbox) or otherwise.
Google itself is not attempting another messaging app that is proprietary like iMessages, Allo, or Facebook Messenger. Instead, Google convinced the world's telecoms to adopt a new messaging standard that will replace SMS, and bring the popular features of iMessage to every texting app.
Another of Apple's exclusive offerings is being democratized. Apple has to be disappointed. After all, Apple customers usually cite iMessage as a must-have feature when contemplating a move to Android products. Furthermore, businesses will likely prefer the greater reach of RCS; iMessage's business chat probably doesn't work with Android phones.
Another of Apple's exclusive offerings is being democratized. Apple has to be disappointed. After all, Apple customers usually cite iMessage as a must-have feature when contemplating a move to Android products. Furthermore, businesses will likely prefer the greater reach of RCS; iMessage's business chat probably doesn't work with Android phones.
To be fair quite a few of those weren't necessarily failures as much as they were attempts at something that Google in a sense experimented with and then in many instances brought in various features or improvements, in one way or another, from those attempts into existing/established products.
Anything that directly involves carriers instead of using them as transparent data providers is not a good thing in my book. RCS means less control, higher prices, lower security, governments spying, etc.
What we need is Apple's iMessage for Android and Windows.
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This is the best description of Google I have ever read.
I agree with RCS.
I am not sure Apple would benefit by offering iMessage on Android. For one thing, bringing iMessage to Android would mean bringing iMessage store with it, which isn't even available on macOS yet. Unless Apple is expanding iMessage to something greater than what it is today, say, new social network, I just don't see how Apple stands to benefit.
And RCS can do a lot of what iMessage can do, with one major downsides -- no end to end encryption.
It took Apple a while to catch up to the richness offered by other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Viber, but they sure delivered with the latest iteration! It's a great experience. I just wish it gracefully downgraded to SMS recipients better similar to how Mail can send attachments by an iCloud link, with any content that can't be supported by SMS represented by a clickable link instead.
I'm very suspicious of that.
It is mind boggling to me that in 2018, technologically sophisticated companies are getting together to design a next-gen messaging system, and it doesn't even include End to End Encryption.
E2EE is such an obvious and basic requirement for communication that I have to assume these companies have omitted it for their own purposes, which I'm sure I won't like.
Isn’t RCS same as what iMessage does?
I think the main reason Google’s attempt to build something similar to iMessage always fail is because of integration. iMessage is integrated with our Carriers, while Android model variety is already a problem with implementing RCS, carriers who hasn’t or refuse to implement it adds to the problem
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I agree but then it wouldn’t make any sense? If an apple device is not connected to the internet hence cannot send iMessage, how would they open the link to an attachement if an iMessage was sent like a text
seldom enough nowadays, but with imessage apple did something right, mostly ... should have expanded to android, but hey ...
google is a total mess when it comes to apps and continuity. hangouts was a great competitor to imessage, because it was multi platform, but then they completely stopped evolving it and brought out some fancy Generation Z allo vullo cullo apps - all for the same things, but can someone explain me please whats the strategy behind googles crazy messaging app behaviour!?
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sometimes its easier hiring some intelligent people and do less attemps and more final products ... a way apple has gone in former ancient times, long before some very special guy took over that great company
google is a total mess when it comes to apps and continuity. hangouts was a great competitor to imessage, because it was multi platform, but then they completely stopped evolving it and brought out some fancy Generation Z allo vullo cullo apps - all for the same things, but can someone explain me please whats the strategy behind googles crazy messaging app behaviour!?
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sometimes its easier hiring some intelligent people and do less attemps and more final products ... a way apple has gone in former ancient times, long before some very special guy took over that great company
Hangouts was a nice app when SMS where still integrated in the app. But they they removed it ♂️
Plenty of final products exist. One way to improve them or evolve them is to do some other ones where things are tried out. It's not like Google is really losing much one way or another by offering up a variety of different new and free things. Doesn't rally have anything to do with intelligence or anything else, and in fact iterating and trying and failing quickly is seen as a path to innovation and improvement.
Hangouts is still kicking, even when I was advised by friends to ditch it for Allo. WHOS LAUGHING NOW!!! Suckers.
Nothing beats Telegram in terms of interface, responsiveness, ease of use, integration/feature set, and cross platform compatibility.
Unless it ever goes multi platform it is beat by any multi platform messaging app. I almost never use imessage because I can't use it on my PC via web browser not can I message use it with Android users which screws up group messaging. Whatsapp is still my messaging app of choice.
Browser based messaging apps are terrible. Nothing beats a native desktop application (again, like Telegram).
RCS will be nice but iMessage will still rule the day. iMessage is encrypted and uses data only. RCS, from what I know, is not encrypted which is a problem because carriers can still comply with wire tapping regulations. I'm guessing its not a data only service so good luck texting your friends abroad.
Having said that, in iMessage it will be nice seeing the green bubbles saying delivered or received.
Translation: Google feels they have gained enough data from their "assistant" monitoring all you do on Allo, so they decided to move on.
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Well, it's not like Voice needs anything new. The older app was criticized simply because of the old design, and then Google updated it to follow material design. Functionality wise, Voice has always been good. I don't need it to do more than what it's supposed to do.