Google to Shut Down Allo, Focus on Duo and Hangouts

Google officially announced that messaging app Google Allo will continue to work through March 2019 and until then, you’ll have to export all of your existing conversation history from the app.

Google said that it has already partnered with over 40 carriers and device makers and that over 175 million users are now using Messages, Google's messaging app for Android phones, every month.

Google Allo, a smart messaging app, was designed to help you get more done in your chats and express yourself more easily. Earlier this year Google says it paused investment in Allo and brought some of its features—like Smart Reply, GIFs and desktop support—into Messages. Given Messages’ momentum, Google 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.

Google also built Duo, a simple, high-quality video calling app. It’s one of Google's highest rated mobile apps and is seeing strong growth and engagement across both Android and iOS.

This year Google launched Duo support for iPad, Android Tablet, Chromebook, and Smart Displays. The company also launched the ability to leave a video message, and promised to continue to bring more improvements based on machine learning.

In March of last year, Google announced plans to evolve classic Hangouts to focus on two experiences that help bring teams together: Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. Recently, Google announced the ability to organize meetings with up to 100 participants in Meet and made it easier for businesses to use meeting solutions without worrying about compatibility with existing equipment. In the coming months, Chat customers will be able to include people from outside of their organization.

"Hangouts Chat and Meet are primarily focused on team collaboration for G Suite customers and at some point will be made available for existing Hangouts users, too. We’re fully committed to supporting Hangouts users in the meantime," said Matt Klainer, Vice President, Consumer Communications Products, Google.