Google Allo is shutting down today

[Polycount]

Google's history with its communication services has been a bit of a mixed bag, to say the least. Google+ effectively failed after years of troubled operation, and Google Hangouts+ is far from the most popular video chat service out there.

We've known for a while now that Google's Allo messaging service would be following in Google+'s footsteps, but a specific close data hadn't been revealed - we only knew that it'd be shutting down this month.

For better or worse, that shutdown date happens to be today: March 12. If you visit Allo's official website, you'll be advised to export your chats in the form of a CSV file. Any media attachments you sent -- such as pictures -- will be downloaded in zip format.

If you'd like to backup your messages and files for later use instead of (or in addition to) downloading them, you can do so pretty easily. Just open Allo's menu on your Android device, open up the Chat settings menu, and tap "Chat backup." From there, switch on the Device backup setting and hit the "Back up now" button.

If you're worried about Google holding on to your data, don't fret. All of your messages will be completely deleted, though conversations you've had with Google Assistant will remain stored on Google's servers (you can delete them if you wish).

Though it's sad to see Allo go, it's not as if there aren't any other alternatives. Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal are all popular and fairly feature-rich.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/79156-google-allo-officially-shutting-down-today.html

 

[ghostf1re]

I don't know anyone who ever used this shitty messenger anyway.

 

[DPennington]

"oh no, not Allo" - No One

 

[Hexic]

I used Allo and enjoyed the hell out of it. In my opinion, Google should have been smart and simply incorporated Allo as the default messaging app for the Android platform.

It was feature rich, fast, and offered everything that you may need with a messaging platform. Google's piss poor implementation of messaging apps in general has led to the total lack of exposure of this app.

Perhaps by 2020 or so, Google may catch up to where iMessage has been for over a decade. I do not like iPhones, or what they offer... But it is flat out embarrassing for a company such as Google to fail so fundamentally at an RCS messaging app for this long.

 

[onestepforward]

A more apt title is ‘Allo, ‘Allo as it’s a bit of a joke.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Google's ADHD strikes again.

 

[iamcts]

I used Allo and enjoyed the hell out of it. In my opinion, Google should have been smart and simply incorporated Allo as the default messaging app for the Android platform.

It was feature rich, fast, and offered everything that you may need with a messaging platform. Google's piss poor implementation of messaging apps in general has led to the total lack of exposure of this app.

Perhaps by 2020 or so, Google may catch up to where iMessage has been for over a decade. I do not like iPhones, or what they offer... But it is flat out embarrassing for a company such as Google to fail so fundamentally at an RCS messaging app for this long.

Google is notorious for building something that people like and then killing it 2 years later.

They probably weren't mining enough of your data to make it profitable.