Google brings its flagship messaging app to the web, forgets Microsoft Edge and other browsers

Google has a lot of chat apps, and that’s no secret. But the company’s “flagship” messaging app, Allo, got a major upgrade this week. Google is finally bringing Allo to the web, allowing you to message on Allo from your computer without needing to use any extensions or apps. The web app includes a good set of features, and it’ll let you do all the basic things you’d expect. Allo on the web also lets you use Google Assistant on your Windows or Mac devices, but there’s a major problem with the app.

Allo for Web only supports Google’s own Chrome browser. Google is also leaving behind Allo users on the iPhone, meaning only Allo’s Android users are able to use the new web app. Google only supporting its own browser for Allo for Web is disappointing for sure. It isn’t clear whether if other browsers are lacking a certain API which is preventing them from supporting other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, but that most likely isn’t the case.

"Allo for web" isn't for the web, it's for Chrome. pic.twitter.com/Dn2NZsDP05

— Kyle Pflug (@kylealden) August 15, 2017

Google’s Allo service is yet to take off, and the company has failed to deliver quick updates to the app in order to grab some attention from users. Lack of regular (and useful) updates, combined with the lack of actual users lead to Allo becoming a complete disappointment. The company has also been teasing the web app for months, and now that it’s finally delivered, the web app seems half-assed with no support for third-party browsers and iPhones. I guess we’ll just have to wait for another new chat app from Google at this point.