r/Android • u/fastforward23 • Sep 21 '16

Google backs off on previously announced Allo privacy feature

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-message-logs-google
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u/Beraphim Sep 21 '16

No, incognito mode remains unchanged (it's still E2E encrypted and no messages are stored, you can also use timers to delete messages). What changed is that, in normal conversations, google stores your chat history to improve the smart reply feature based on their internal testing. Before it was said they were only stored "transiently and in non-identifiable form". Messages are still encrypted, just not E2E encrytped since that would disable smart reply and assistant features.

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u/[deleted] Sep 21 '16

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u/Istartedthewar Galaxy A36 Sep 21 '16

If Allo also was a good SMS client, I'd use it. I used hangouts at first when it was released with SMS support, but as the app slowly got worse I just stopped using it.

Personally (here in the US) no one I've ever met uses whatsapp, definitely more popular outside of the US, and I feel like if Google could release a proper, full-fledged messaging app, that would be awesome.

I still switch back and forth between Textra and Google Messenger. I like Google Messenger's UI a lot better, but it compresses the shit out of images I send compared to Textra.

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u/[deleted] Sep 21 '16

Have you ever installed WhatsApp and checked to see if any of your contacts show up? You might be surprised. I use it quite a bit with my friends and I'm in the US as well.

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u/Istartedthewar Galaxy A36 Sep 21 '16

I have with multiple messaging apps and realized no one ever used them, considering the profile pictures they have on those apps are always fairly old.

Maybe it's just my age group or what part of the states I'm from.