Google Announces Shutdown of Allo App, Makes New Plans for Business Messaging

When it comes to search, Google has no equal, but the company just doesn’t seem to get messaging right. The shutting down of Allo two years after it was announced at I/O 2016 is the latest example. Google officially announced it is shutting down Allo after pausing further investment in the app earlier this year. The decision came about because Google wasn’t achieving the right numbers in terms of downloads and Allo just wasn’t getting the necessary traction to warrant additional investment. For businesses and individuals who were using Allo, Google says it will continue to work until March 2019. In the meantime, the company is recommending users download their conversation for safe keeping. Here is an instruction page on how to download your conversation history from Allo. On the same blog announcing the demise of Allo, Google also revealed what is ahead for Messages, Duo, and Hangouts. The company said it wants to share the effort it is putting in developing a simpler communication experience.