Just when you thought WhatsApp’s web version was good enough to stay in touch with family and friends, Google has come up with the web version of its own chat application, Allo. Often regarded as the successor to Gchat, features like stickers, google assistant integration, and smart one-tap responses have made the application popular.
Though Google announced the launch of the web version of Allo in February this year, it is only now that it rolled out the app’s desktop version. More specifically, the app has been launched on Google’s Chrome browser. Also, the web version at present can only be used by Android users.
How Allo works on Chrome?
Users of Allo have to pair the app on their Android phone with the Allo web client, by scanning the QR code. The process is fairly straightforward.
This new feature is quite similar to WhatsApp’s popular web client, with the only difference being that the present Allo web option is yet to be available to iOS users. The QR code pairs the mobile app to the user’s desktop/ laptop, forming a unique link between the devices. This linkage is severed when the user quits the app on his mobile device, with the web application turning non-responsive simultaneously.
Until now Allo’s uptake has been slow, in spite of Google’s wide reach with Android. After its launch, Allo enjoyed a successful first week that saw close to 5 million downloads, later the numbers came down drastically. Allo is, in fact, one of the several chat apps launched by the tech giant, and often questions are raised if the number of downloads alone is enough to justify the popularity of the app.
Industry experts see this move as Google’s strategy to expand in developing economies, rather than developed economies. This analysis is further supported by the fact that Allo has more users in countries like India than in the US. Perhaps this is why the web version for Android platform has been launched way before the iOS platform.
How will this move from Google influence the growth and popularity of the chatting app is yet to be known. However, there is no denying that rolling out Allo’s web version was a masterstroke on Google’s part, as the tech giant now looks to make some serious inroads in the game of chatting apps.
Author’s Edit : Latest update on Google Allo
Google’s launch of the web version of Allo is seen by many as a rather delayed step by the tech giant. With WhatsApp already having a huge user base, and its web version being equally popular – industry experts are skeptical about Allo’s chances of breaking through the competition. Also, the unique feature of the app is undoubtedly the Google Assistant, which makes use of Google’s vast database to answer questions dished out by the Allo users. However, this feature alone is not sufficient for the app to pull in more downloads, and most importantly more users.
Though it’s too early to predict the extent to which Google will benefit from the web version of Allo, it is expected that emerging economies like India which already have a good number of Allo as well as Android users, will witness a spike in users of the web version. The developed economies might witness some increase in downloads once the web version is launched for iOS users as well.
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