Allo is one of Google’s more divisive announcements, with some of our team able to see its value, while others write it off as half-baked at best. Both views are probably true, with Allo’s value being in what it will be, rather than what it is right now. One of the main barriers to adoption for more power-oriented users is the lack of a desktop client (as well as cross-device sync/access). At least one of those is about to be addressed according to a tweet from Google’s product manager for Allo.
Amit Fulay, who is Head of Product for Google Allo and Duo tweeted in response to a query about timeframes:
On it … few more weeks
— Amit Fulay (@amitfulay) July 8, 2017
We can only really guess why it’s taking Allo so long to bring the desktop/web client to us, and while it will be a welcome addition, we’d rather a native option rather than having to keep things open in Chrome.
That said, we’re mostly accustomed to keeping things open in Chrome to keep them working, including Google Play Music for one, so it’s not that much of an imposition (especially considering you can get the update notifications on your mobile anyway).
The problem with native clients is that you require admin rights to install them on your PC. Most users in a business environment don’t have that. So I think a browser option is the best way to go.
You make a very good point. I couldn’t install Telegram at my old work, but I could run the web app easily.
If I can’t see who has read the messages then I’m not interested. Anyone know of a hangouts alternative with proper group receipts.
Sadly I don’t. Most other chat apps don’t have that level of granularity and I wish they did.