4 ms·

Why not just build the same features into Hangouts? It's already got enough momentum, instead they have to start from the ground floor yet again with a complete

by Zikes 10y ago

Why not just build the same features into Hangouts? It's already got enough momentum, instead they have to start from the ground floor yet again with a completely new app. Is it going to have SMS/MMS support built-in? Do I have to use it alongside Hangouts in the future? What features from Hangouts will I have to give up to use Allo? Are they going to sunset Hangouts, now that I've finally convinced (most) of my friends to at least install it? I'm pretty tempted to give up on Google and just use Whatsapp. At least I can trust that there's a business behind it in brand and concept. With Google, I haven't the slightest idea how much genuine effort they'll put into Allo. It took them years to fix integration issues with SMS/MMS in Hangouts, and there are still bugs and issues that have been simply ignored.

Jtsummers 10y ago
Google seems to have a lot of internal silos. The same can be observed in (historic?) Microsoft, current IBM, and other corporations. Perhaps the split into Alphabet with Google, et al. as subsidiaries will help? But I doubt it. Anyways, my point is: Someone has a good idea, they implement it, it reaches the point where it's not easily integrated into another product. Instead of strong corporate leadership directing that the new thing be integrated into the old thing (or vice versa), they allow both to exist. Eventually one or more products have to be boxed up. I guess the main problem will be with discovering when this will happen and which product. It should also be noted that, like WhatsApp with Facebook, Allo doesn't strictly require you to have an account beyond your phone number. This may be useful in helping it to grow as sign-up will be trivial. And users may eventually attach the app to their Google account (if they have one).
- djloche 10y ago
  It seems like someone said, "why don't we have a WhatsApp competitor?" and so Bob and Steve made it without thinking about all the different messaging applications already under the Google brand.
  - Jtsummers 10y ago
    Pretty much. Which, on its own, isn't a bad thing. A lot of innovation can happen that way. But see Wave, Talk, Hangouts, Spaces, Allo, G+ [0]: Many communication apps, some mobile, some defunct. They've each added something, they've each lost something. G+ introduced "Circles". I really liked that concept, it was a smooth way to organize the people I wanted to communicate with. Post a message, only my gaming buddies could see it. Post another, friends and family (and most gaming buddies fell under friends) could see it. And it was under my control and invisible to other users. Talk: Adds nothing, it's just another messenger. Hangouts: ... video and audio chat. Screen sharing. Spaces: Seems like a more socially oriented Wave? Wave: Neat, got stuck in performance hell and was hard to sell. The invite system didn't help. Collaborative documents. Integrated chat bots with the document much like this @google thing in Allo seems to be. Allo: Talk - gmail account + (end-to-end encryption OR @google chatbot). It's WhatsApp meets part of Wave meets Google Talk. Take G+, integrate Spaces into that. Make Hangouts part of that. Make Allo a part of Hangouts. Move Hangouts to end-to-end encryption model (broken with @google chatbot present, but not if you leave it out). [0] I'm excluding GMail because it, at least, has a fairly well established place on its own and is, fundamentally, an email platform. The accounts are tied to the other services, but GMail is easily its own standalone product with a very large user base.
    - djloche 10y ago
      I just wished that they hadn't killed Talk on mobile. I had converted all of my friends from AIM/MSN to Talk, but that was the last time everyone actually used the same messaging system. Now people use Skype/Facebook/Talk/SMS/Snapchat/??? whatever the new fad is, a few breakaway and use it.

by Zikes 10y ago

Jtsummers 10y ago

Google seems to have a lot of internal silos. The same can be observed in (historic?) Microsoft, current IBM, and other corporations. Perhaps the split into Alphabet with Google, et al. as subsidiaries will help? But I doubt it. Anyways, my point is: Someone has a good idea, they implement it, it reaches the point where it's not easily integrated into another product. Instead of strong corporate leadership directing that the new thing be integrated into the old thing (or vice versa), they allow both to exist. Eventually one or more products have to be boxed up. I guess the main problem will be with discovering when this will happen and which product. It should also be noted that, like WhatsApp with Facebook, Allo doesn't strictly require you to have an account beyond your phone number. This may be useful in helping it to grow as sign-up will be trivial. And users may eventually attach the app to their Google account (if they have one).

djloche 10y ago
It seems like someone said, "why don't we have a WhatsApp competitor?" and so Bob and Steve made it without thinking about all the different messaging applications already under the Google brand.
- Jtsummers 10y ago
  Pretty much. Which, on its own, isn't a bad thing. A lot of innovation can happen that way. But see Wave, Talk, Hangouts, Spaces, Allo, G+ [0]: Many communication apps, some mobile, some defunct. They've each added something, they've each lost something. G+ introduced "Circles". I really liked that concept, it was a smooth way to organize the people I wanted to communicate with. Post a message, only my gaming buddies could see it. Post another, friends and family (and most gaming buddies fell under friends) could see it. And it was under my control and invisible to other users. Talk: Adds nothing, it's just another messenger. Hangouts: ... video and audio chat. Screen sharing. Spaces: Seems like a more socially oriented Wave? Wave: Neat, got stuck in performance hell and was hard to sell. The invite system didn't help. Collaborative documents. Integrated chat bots with the document much like this @google thing in Allo seems to be. Allo: Talk - gmail account + (end-to-end encryption OR @google chatbot). It's WhatsApp meets part of Wave meets Google Talk. Take G+, integrate Spaces into that. Make Hangouts part of that. Make Allo a part of Hangouts. Move Hangouts to end-to-end encryption model (broken with @google chatbot present, but not if you leave it out). [0] I'm excluding GMail because it, at least, has a fairly well established place on its own and is, fundamentally, an email platform. The accounts are tied to the other services, but GMail is easily its own standalone product with a very large user base.
  - djloche 10y ago
    I just wished that they hadn't killed Talk on mobile. I had converted all of my friends from AIM/MSN to Talk, but that was the last time everyone actually used the same messaging system. Now people use Skype/Facebook/Talk/SMS/Snapchat/??? whatever the new fad is, a few breakaway and use it.