It’s been about a month since Google first launched Google Allo, its latest and possibly greatest instant messaging (IM) app. Even though the Mountain View company was previously criticized regarding the amount of messaging apps it supports, Google Allo hasn’t been doing too badly. It currently boasts between five and ten million installs on the Play Store and most user reviews are largely positive. The vanilla version of Google Allo isn’t exactly robust but all features it currently supports work rather well. Of course, the app’s main selling point is its Google Assistant integration. While many still aren’t keen on the idea of a digital assistant, Google Assistant is an impressive piece of tech which differentiates Allo from other similar apps on the market.
In addition to that, a first major update for Google Allo is apparently in the works. According to a Google Plus post from one Derek Ross who’s currently trying out the update, “Allo 2.0” features a Splash screen, adds support for monochrome chats, and comes with plenty of bug fixes and performance tweaks. The addition of a Splash screen makes sense given how the original version of Allo simply shows a white screen while it’s loading so displaying the app’s logo is definitely a more elegant alternative to that. That’s especially true for owners of older devices which may require a couple of seconds to get Allo up and running. As for monochrome chat supports, it’s exactly what it sounds like – an ability to make your chat windows black and white.
Unfortunately, it seems that the update still doesn’t add multiple device and SMS support, but those features are presumably in the works, as well. It’s also worth noting that Ross stated there are plenty of other improvements included in the update that he missed so it remains to be seen what exactly Google Allo 2.0 will bring to the table. There’s still no word on when exactly this update is hitting the Play Store but more information will hopefully follow soon. In case you’ve just recently installed Google Allo, keep in mind that there are plenty of tricks which you can use to get the most out of Google’s latest IM app.