With Allo and Duo on the way, Google will not abandon Hangouts
We’re still not sure what to make of Google’s Allo and Duo messaging and video calling apps which were introduced during the Google I/O opening keynote. Allo is a messaging app, infused with the new Google Assistant while Duo is a simple 1-to-1 video calling app which allows you to see the caller before you even answer the call. While those specific features are not included in Hangouts, the basic messaging and video calling functionality offered by Allo and Duo is.
So… is there still room for Hangouts once Allo and Duo are released? Google believes there is.
Following the announcement of the two new apps, Google confirmed to Business Insider that it is still working on Hangouts and will keep the app independent from Allo and Duo. The reason for this is that Hangouts is fully integrated into your Google account and Google Enterprise services. This allows the app to be geared more towards “official business” rather than casual conversations with your friends. There’s a good chance that Google Assistant and some of the other more conversation formatting features from Allo will make their way to Hangouts in the future, but Google isn’t ready to divulge its development roadmap for Hangouts quite yet.
Do you use Hangouts on a regular basis? Are there are features from Allo or Duo that you’d like to see integrated into Hangouts?