Google Allo or WhatsApp

It seems that the world of messaging applications has reached a static degree of maturity. If a few years ago we talked about the struggle between WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and even Skype, it seems that time has proved WhatsApp and Facebook (same company) right. Now everyone uses WhatsApp above many other tools. However, it is far from being the most complete messaging application. Google knows this and continues to provide its tools with new and attractive features.But is it enough? What will it take to dethrone WhatsApp? We put these two messaging apps face to face.

Who has more users

It is the basis of messaging tools, and Google Allo suffers from it. The application is more or less known, especially among active Android users. However, if the average person installs the app, they'll find a nice short list of available contacts to talk to. And if there's no one to talk to, there's not much else you can do in a messaging tool Okay, we accept chats with the Google assistant. In the Google Play Store it already accumulates between 10 and 50 million downloads, however we do not believe that its number of active users is very large if we look at our own experience or the searches that are made of this application in the company's own search engine.

WhatsApp, for its part, already amalgamates more than 1,200 million active users worldwide It may not be the most popular application used in different countries, but it is global. And this point is key to knowing that, by adding any contact, we can almost certainly contact WhatsApp, and not so sure through other applications such as Telegram or Google Allo.

An intelligent assistant

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and other concepts that seemed futuristic just a couple of years ago are here to stay. And to be the sea of ​​useful. At least in the case of Google Allo, where the assistant not only offers individual chats to pass the time, but also helps to find a place, write down questions or find more informationabout what is being talked about in a chat.If you have never used it, it may not attract your attention, but as soon as you try its virtues you wonder why WhatsApp does not work on something similar.

For its part, WhatsApp can continue adding various functionalities to improve and expand the communication experience. However, it seems totally detached from the realm of assistants. Maybe those responsible think it's a fad, but bots and assistants are the first step towards rich communication that doesn't even require you to leave the chat to search for information .

Extra functions which one has more?

Google has arrived late to the world of messaging, but it has done so with force. Within Google Allo we find many characteristics typical of a tool updated at its time.Options to transcribe audio messages into text are already right in the app. There's also a large gallery of emoticons and stickers to bring your chats to life. As if that were not enough, it has barely taken time to offer its service through different platforms, be it mobile or computer, and all linked to a Google account so as not to lose content. Undoubtedly, functions that not all applications can boast.

WhatsApp has realized this and, in the last year, they seem to have gotten their act together. Little by little we are seeing news to improve the experience such as blocking when recording audio and not cutting it. Or simple details like highlighting messages, replying with a quote or mentioning users in crowded chats. It is also multiplatform, although it requires keeping the mobile always active to use WhatsApp Web, and of course it cannot be used on tablets at the moment. Bottom line, WhatsApp gets better and better, but seems to always stay a step behind of what other tools offer, even though you can afford it.

Minimalist interface

For a long time WhatsApp seems not to want to change its appearance. Except for some icons and the layout of the elements, we have seen little progress in this tool in recent times. And beware, it's not a bad thing. In this way it manages to anchor and fix its user base, avoiding misleading them and changing the place of things that we are all used to. It's pretty straightforward, but since the advent of voice and video calls it seems to have slowed down a bit in its quest for minimalism and simplicity.

And precisely minimalism is what we can find in Google Allo. An application that stands out for showing the contents directly on a blank screen. There are only two main screens in the app: the contact list and the actual conversations.This way there is no option for error or confusion You just have to choose who to talk to and start doing it. A point that WhatsApp also shared years ago and that led it to succeed among users of all ages. Now Google Allo follows this path, although without much success, despite the fact that, personally, the minimalist design makes its use more attractive and comfortable.

Multi platform

Those of us who are used to typing still prefer the advantages of a computer, with its keyboard and screen, than a mobile phone, however complete it may be. Especially if you have to manage groups or communities in which to send many messages. If we want all the comforts of WhatsApp or Google Allo, together with the document we are writing, we can also use their web versions A very practical way of typing quickly thanks to the physical keyboard of the computer.

Both tools work similarly in this case. The web version of both WhatsApp and Google Allo are mere reflections of what happens on the mobile Therefore, it has to be turned on and connected to the Internet. Something that does not happen in the case of Telegram. It is a disadvantage since we need to have everything on the mobile, in addition to keeping it active. In addition, the linking system requires scanning a QR code, although it is only carried out once.

Security and Privacy

We have no complaints about the security of Google Allo. And neither of WhatsApp. Despite the cases that occasionally come to the fore about WhatsApp vulnerabilities, they are usually really isolated cases and very difficult for the average user to replicate, without that spoofing is a feasible option today.

We like that WhatsApp has implemented details such as the access code to the application that appears eventually. You have to activate it manually, yes, but it offers a very interesting extra protection to prevent them from reading our messages.

From Google Allo there are no known security breaches to date. In fact, the application has incognito chats, which are protected from end to end so that, even if information is stolen, it cannot be deciphered. Also, add the ability to automatically self-destruct conversations to make sure nothing gets out. Undoubtedly, the most secure and private option.

So which one is better?

There is no doubt that WhatsApp and Google Allo have developed in different directions. While Google advances at the forefront of functionality and design, WhatsApp remains more reticent and is being built little by little, calmly.It doesn't seem obsolete thanks to the growing number of users, which continues to be its greatest value and where everyone can communicate.

However, the use of one or the other is not exclusive in any case It is possible to have private conversations and take advantage of the virtues of Google Assistant on Google Allo while in direct contact with everyone on WhatsApp. However, if Google does not get more market share, it is very likely that Allo will end up being another failed attempt in his career.