Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Google Allo and Duo

kkh786

kkh786

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 25, 2013
734
816
United Kingdom
Greetings all,

Having moved from iOS to Android (loving it by the way).. I am on the lookout for an iMessage and Facetime substitute as I am still interested in the same seamless experience.

The closest Android equivalents I have come across are the recently released Allo and Duo apps by Google themselves.

Have you guys have had any experience with Allo/Duo or is there something else better I can try (Hangouts is a not an option due to the overall crappy experience).

Does the Allo app compress pictures/videos when sent to a contact? I don't think iMessage compresses pictures.. not sure about videos.

PS. I mostly need the iMessage/Facetime functionality with the better half (she has the iPhone 7).. so not bothered at all about adoption by anyone else from my contacts or on a wider scale.

I look forward to your feedback.. and many thanks in anticipation! :)

KKH
 
Zaft

Zaft

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2009
4,570
4,049
Brooklyn, NY
kkh786 said:
Greetings all,

Having moved from iOS to Android (loving it by the way).. I am on the lookout for an iMessage and Facetime substitute as I am still interested in the same seamless experience.

The closest Android equivalents I have come across are the recently released Allo and Duo apps by Google themselves.

Have you guys have had any experience with Allo/Duo or is there something else better I can try (Hangouts is a not an option due to the overall crappy experience).

Does the Allo app compress pictures/videos when sent to a contact? I don't think iMessage compresses pictures.. not sure about videos.

PS. I mostly need the iMessage/Facetime functionality with the better half (she has the iPhone 7).. so not bothered at all about adoption by anyone else from my contacts or on a wider scale.

I look forward to your feedback.. and many thanks in anticipation! :)

KKH
Click to expand...
For messaging Viber is pretty neat, and for video you can try out skype.
 
W

widgeteer

Suspended
Jun 12, 2016
1,565
4,610
I'd go with whatsapp. Odds are most of your friends and family already have it. Allo is DOA. No one uses it, no one wants to. Duo is cool, and seems to work well for a Facetime-like equivalent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JaySoul
kkh786

kkh786

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 25, 2013
734
816
United Kingdom
widgeteer said:
I'd go with whatsapp. Odds are most of your friends and family already have it. Allo is DOA. No one uses it, no one wants to. Duo is cool, and seems to work well for a Facetime-like equivalent.
Click to expand...
Agree with Duo. Initial impressions are good.

Allo has been a surprise.
I love the AI aspect of it. Wife and I were discussing a shopping mall for the weekend earlier and the AI pulled up the relevant information based on our conversation on the chat. Very convenient.
Also apart from the lack of SMS capabilities I can't see much wrong with it. UI is nice and it has the niceties from iMessage like stickers ect.
Will give it a good run before I make judgment.
 
RandomKamikaze

RandomKamikaze

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2009
900
56
UK
Allo can do SMS. Google have implemented an SMS gateway to allow users that don't have Allo installed to receive it just as an SMS, but the experience is pretty rubbish.

More info here: http://www.androidcentral.com/allo

It has the potential to be much much better than iMessage, Google just need to not screw it up
 
hallux

hallux

macrumors 68040
Apr 25, 2012
3,443
1,005
RandomKamikaze said:
Allo can do SMS. Google have implemented an SMS gateway to allow users that don't have Allo installed to receive it just as an SMS, but the experience is pretty rubbish.

More info here: http://www.androidcentral.com/allo

It has the potential to be much much better than iMessage, Google just need to not screw it up
Click to expand...

I think the comment about SMS is that you can't use it as your SMS client, you still need another app to handle that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kkh786
RandomKamikaze

RandomKamikaze

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2009
900
56
UK
hallux said:
I think the comment about SMS is that you can't use it as your SMS client, you still need another app to handle that.
Click to expand...

Ah OK. That makes sense. I can't believe Google created to the effort of making this app and then won't allow you to use it as your default SMS app.
 
mattopotamus

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,738
6,109
RandomKamikaze said:
Ah OK. That makes sense. I can't believe Google created to the effort of making this app and then won't allow you to use it as your default SMS app.
Click to expand...

That has probably been one of the weaker things with android stock apps, the SMS apps are always pretty terrible and they have multiple ones. google hangouts, stock messaging app, allo. I honestly thought allo could handle everything =/
 
C

coolio93

macrumors 6502
Apr 15, 2013
304
50
Houston, TX
C DM said:
It sends and receives SMS through one's carrier somehow?
Click to expand...
It is an SMS client that switches to instant messaging that works over wifi if the other user also has invi downloaded on their phone. If you send a message and either you or the other invi user is in a place where they don't get internet, then it switches back to sms. Seamlessly :)
 
L

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
Stuntman06 said:
Biggest problem I have with Allo and Duo is finding people I know who also use them.
Click to expand...

My family and the people I'm close to. I installed Duo it on their phones and they forgot about it until I started video calling them with it. Now most of my inner circle uses it regularly amongst each other. And they have a mix of Android and iPhones. Duo works great.

Both Allo and Duo needs to be pre-installed with Android O, and included in the initial setup. That way, anyone that has your number can access you using Allo and Duo. IMO, that's the ONLY way these two apps will succeed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: timeconsumer, co.ag.2005, tbayrgs and 1 other person
Zaft

Zaft

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2009
4,570
4,049
Brooklyn, NY
LIVEFRMNYC said:
My family and the people I'm close to. I installed Duo it on their phones and they forgot about it until I started video calling them with it. Now most of my inner circle uses it regularly amongst each other. And they have a mix of Android and iPhones. Duo works great.

Both Allo and Duo needs to be pre-installed with Android O, and included in the initial setup. That way, anyone that has your number can access you using Allo and Duo. IMO, that's the ONLY way these two apps will succeed.
Click to expand...
Exactly, it needs to he installed already and the default. That's the best way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tbayrgs
C

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,461
vikingjunior said:
Allo and Duo are not very catchy names. The branding is horrible, the average person will never equate "Duo" as a video app or Allo as a messaging app.
Click to expand...
To be fair, while I sort of get the idea behind what you are saying, something like Skype wouldn't seem like much of a catchy name or even Google, yet those are more or less part of everyday lexicon these days and for some years now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: M. Gustave, Hastings101 and Tig Bitties
aerok

aerok

macrumors 65816
Oct 29, 2011
1,491
139
I really find Allo useless, all my friends are on hangouts or iMessage. The worst part with Allo is not being able to use it on a PC/Mac
 
  • Like
Reactions: timeconsumer
5

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
When we are on our Android phones my husband and I use Duo for video calling and WhatsApp for texting. WhatsApp has worked well enough for us.

I use Allo to chat with Google Assistant, which is quite good. But I didn't really care to text on it all that much with my husband. I forget why.

He and I are back on iOS since Christmas. We are like a couple of kids bombing each other with stickers, gifs and emoji. Tim Cook must be so happy. :rolleyes:
 
epicrayban

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
Why Google isn't pooling their resources together to make one unified chat app across multiple platforms is beyond me.

At this point, one must believe this is intentional. They just have no interest in really making one chat app.
 
  • Like
Reactions: timeconsumer
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom