NEW YORK (AP) – Google wants to add a middleman to your mobile chats – a personal virtual assistant who’s not shy about interjecting itself into the conversation.
The new Allo app promises to be “smart,” sort of. Its Google Assistant will butt in with restaurant recommendations when someone types, “Want to get sushi?” It can also send daily updates on weather and sports or suggest replies to your friends’ messages.
The idea is to keep the conversation flowing, so you don’t have to constantly leave Allo to look up something else.
Google is releasing the free chat app Wednesday, just a week after Apple updated its own Messages app with the a href=’https://www.apnews.com/211b2659758546bd90efd689408d63c7/6-key-things-to-know-about-Apple’s-new-iOS-10-software’iOS 10 software update/a. Messages works on iPhones and iPads, while Allo will work for iPhones and Android phones, but not tablets.
Do you really need another chat app? Here’s more on Allo to help you decide.