Google's Allo messaging service dies today

A running joke among tech-aware Android users is the number of Google-owned messaging apps the firm has. You had your messages, your Allo and Duo, your Hangouts Chat and Meet, your YouTube chat, Voice, Hangouts Classic and so on.

Today, Google is culling one of those apps.

Allo, Google’s iMessage competitor is being shut down, and users will no longer be able to export older messages from the app.

Last year Google said:

“We built Google Allo, a smart messaging app, to help you get more done in your chats and express yourself more easily. Earlier this year we paused investment in Allo and brought some of its most-loved features—like Smart Reply, GIFs and desktop support—into Messages. Given Messages’ continued momentum, we’ve decided to stop supporting Allo to focus on Messages.

Allo will continue to work through March 2019 and until then, you’ll be able to export all of your existing conversation history from the app—here are instructions on how to do so. We’ve learned a lot from Allo, particularly what’s possible when you incorporate machine learning features, like the Google Assistant, into messaging.

In the meantime, Google has done work on building many of Allo’s features to the new Messages app, including its Google Assistant integration.

It’s still no Allo or WhatsApp, relying primarily on carriers for both SMS and RCS (which continues to retain its jam tomorrow status for many.)