If you remember our article about Allo, we questioned what the new IM app spells for the future of Hangouts. Apparently it won’t affect it at all.
According to Business Insider, Hangouts will not be affected in anyway.
This is what a Google Spokesperson told BI.
“We’re continuing to invest in Hangouts and it will remain a standalone product”. Google spokesperson tells Business Insider.
So, the next question is why the need for two IM apps, which essentially are the same? Technically, they are IM apps, but with different features and targeted at different groups.
Hangouts is your basic IM app and features Stickers, Emojis, Photos, etc, but also serves as a messenger for Google Work customers, i.e, Businesses and Professionals.
Allo on the other hand is your more casual, friendly IM app, and one which uses an AI to integrate other products from the Mountain View company, such as Search, Maps, Youtube, etc. These can be accessed via the built-in Google Assistant, which is basically a chatbot. Also, Google Allo requires a phone number to sign up and lets you chat with people in your phone book, just like Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram.
So you can see why there will be two separate IM apps from Google. Frankly, we are surprised that Hangouts isn’t being sent to the dreaded Google Graveyard, which in itself, is great news, let alone the fact that Google wants to cater to different users in different ways.
