The Allo for Web app expanded its availability on Tuesday, with the service officially becoming compatible with desktop versions of Firefox and Opera, as well as the Allo iOS app. The move was announced by Google Allo Product Head Amit Fulay who didn’t provide more details on the matter, though limited testing suggests that iOS support was distributed as part of a server-side switch and Allo v20 hasn’t started rolling out as of this writing.
The browser variant of Google’s latest communications service has been promised and delayed on numerous occasions since the Allo mobile app launched on the Google Play Store in 2016, with Allo for Web finally debuting in mid-August. The first standalone variant of the platform only worked in conjunction with the Android app which you had to use to scan a QR code generated by the browser client in order to connect the two, with Google giving no particular reason for delaying iOS support for what ended up being six weeks. The expansion of the service to more browsers could also be seen as the expansion of the Google Assistant itself seeing how the company’s artificial intelligence companion is an integral part of Google Allo which can be summoned in any chat or engaged in a one-on-one conversation.
Note that you still need to have a valid phone number and the Allo app on your device in order to use Allo For Web seeing how the latter is simply a mirrored version of the former and not a standalone service, hence acting in a manner that’s similar to desktop clients for the likes of WhatsApp and Viber. It remains to be seen whether the app will eventually be updated with SMS support seeing how Google itself seems to be unsure of how to position it going forward, with the company currently maintaining a broad range of somewhat similar communications solutions including Android Messages, Google Hangouts, and Google Allo itself. The Alphabet-owned tech giant is holding a major product event later today but its next happening isn’t expected to put a large focus on software and should instead emphasize the new hardware offerings from the firm, including the highly anticipated Pixel 2 smartphone lineup and the Google Home Mini smart speaker.
Allo For Web