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Android |OT7| Now With a Whole New Messaging System

T

this_guy

Member
I'd rather see RCS text messaging (with Google's universal profile) take off. Sprint has it, T-Mobile either has it or will be soon, and Google said Google Voice users will have it. AT&T I think is also signed up as a partner.

I still have Allo on my phone but haven't touched it since before Thanksgiving.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Honestly, google's messaging mess is not surprising at all once you learn more about the guy who runs that part of their business. He legit sounds like a fucking airhead idiot.

https://twitter.com/juberti/status/778485171464970240

wtf is the talking about? One of the dumbest statements I've seen. And he has some tweet where he posts a graph about duo video quality and quality increasing over time is important and that's their main focus with duo. Like no shit? And the quality is fine.

This guy lacks focus and is flat out wrong about things. I blame Sundar more than anything but yeah. Seems like Duarte is the only person putting in work when it comes to Android. Everyone else asleep at the wheel.
 
L

Laekon

Member
Vanillalite said:
Honor 8 on sale for $289 again with a free Dr Strange case from B&H

Also Allo? Aaalllllloo? Anyone there? No? Guess nobody cares?

App just dropped off the top 500 list cause nobody gives a fuck about it.
Click to expand...

I've been eyeing that deal but still can't decide if its worth going to from a Nexus 5X or if I should just wait longer. The S7 is a better camera but cost $200 more. Finding good info on the Nougat upgrade for both phones isn't easy.

Google's messenger situation doesn't make any sense. I've been using hangouts for ever so why should or do I need to switch? But then I still don't get why Facebook made the messages a separate app on mobile when it still is part of the site on a computer.
 
A

akileese

Member
-Pyromaniac- said:
Honestly, google's messaging mess is not surprising at all once you learn more about the guy who runs that part of their business. He legit sounds like a fucking airhead idiot.

https://twitter.com/juberti/status/778485171464970240

wtf is the talking about? One of the dumbest statements I've seen. And he has some tweet where he posts a graph about duo video quality and quality increasing over time is important and that's their main focus with duo. Like no shit? And the quality is fine.

This guy lacks focus and is flat out wrong about things. I blame Sundar more than anything but yeah. Seems like Duarte is the only person putting in work when it comes to Android. Everyone else asleep at the wheel.
Click to expand...

Well it depends on how you look at things. Is having a separate app for every function of your platform user friendly? Fuck no! Doesn't stop Facebook from doing it.

Personally, if I worked at Google I would've reworked hangouts with Allo features and build a new platform for business enterprises. It just makes more sense. Allo has got to me one of the most anti consumer messaging apps ever created. One device, no SMS support at all. I mean shit, you can't even use it on a tablet or the desktop. It was doomed to fail from the very start.
 
R

RoKKeR

Member
Google lost all of its messaging cache for me, it would take me a hell of a lot to switch back from using FB Messenger. Integrates SMS, FB Messages, calls + video calls, and even some dumb snapchat shit I don't use.

It's not perfect, but it's a pretty great app that has really consolidated most all of my messaging, and has been a godsend after switching over from iOS last year. Between FB Messenger and GroupMe all of my messaging needs are covered.

Why anybody would use Allo is beyond me.
 
Bboy AJ

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
I use Allo and it is super annoying when switching phones. You have to reregister all the time. I expect Pixel 2 to fix it.
 
Q

Quasar

Member
akileese said:
Well it depends on how you look at things. Is having a separate app for every function of your platform user friendly? Fuck no! Doesn't stop Facebook from doing it.

Personally, if I worked at Google I would've reworked hangouts with Allo features and build a new platform for business enterprises. It just makes more sense. Allo has got to me one of the most anti consumer messaging apps ever created. One device, no SMS support at all. I mean shit, you can't even use it on a tablet or the desktop. It was doomed to fail from the very start.
Click to expand...

See I prefer multiple apps over bloated kitchen sink monstrosities, and I like the streamlined approach google has taken.
 
Bboy AJ

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
I also prefer separate apps but not a separate data and text messenger. I understand separate apps for video chat and text chat. But text chat, data or SMS, should be one app.
 
T

ty_hot

Member
It's already annoying to be have FB Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype and Hangouts installed, why should I install Allow? Lol.

To chat with one person or group (including sending photos) WhatsApp is king - because everyone has it in Brazil. FB comes after because it's better to share FB content, and usually to keep a small conversation about said content. Then comes Hangouts that is the best for video chat (started using it because I had the first Samsung Chromebook 5 years ago!). I don't even have Skype installed now, but my gf has a super cheap plan for international calls (to contact her family that doesn't use internet).

What does allo can offer? Those apps already cover everything from the most basic to the most specific stuff.

A friend even asked me to install Snapchat lol, but no thanks.

Edit: and it I will never understand how SMS is sooo important in USA. Really, I always found it annoying to have a SMS app, after Hangout got SMS integration I was so happy that I didn't need another app that I would use once a month. And yes I know that you guys have unlimited SMS plans... But even slow 2G internet is capable of receiving WhatsApp msgs... I used to have a 10mb a day plan (3G) which would drop to unlimited slow 2G (maybe 56k lol) and it was fine for chatting and even RSS news.
 
T

ty_hot

Member
Does anyone know how can I track my OnePlus3T? They sent an email saying that it was shipped, but there is no tracking on it even though it's written "the tracking code might not work in the first 24 hours".

It's supposed to arrive today (in their website), but this expected arrival is there since it was supposed to be sent on Monday (it was sent on Tuesday). So now I don't know if it's coming today or tomorrow. I'd stay home to wait for the postman in case it's coming today...
 
T

tzare

Member
Messaging apps:
Whatsapp : light and just works
Hangouts: multiplatform
Duo: Best use of data/quality for video calls on android.

Google should just push hangouts and give option to link it to phone number instead of trying to push the already dead Allo to a world that has a number of mainstream apps that have been doing what allo does forever.
But i guess tgat is what google does, sometimes makes no sense but when they nail it, it is great.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Bboy AJ said:
I use Allo and it is super annoying when switching phones. You have to reregister all the time. I expect Pixel 2 to fix it.
Click to expand...
Messaging will be the elephant in the room at IO this summer so it'll be interesting to see what they do. Knowing google they'll act oblivious and go on and on about AI and Bots though.

I think the best solution is to either refocus on hangouts, which they wont do. Or repurpose the Messenger app. It already has a shitton of installs because it's the default messaging app. It's simple and clean. Just add chatting functionality and a web app and that's it. Build Duo into it as well. Scrap Allo.
 
M

Mindwipe

Member
Given Allo's install rate is going south fast, none of the issues are being fixed and yet the leadership hasn't been replaced, I really do not think it is long for the world.
 
V

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Laekon said:
I've been eyeing that deal but still can't decide if its worth going to from a Nexus 5X or if I should just wait longer. The S7 is a better camera but cost $200 more. Finding good info on the Nougat upgrade for both phones isn't easy.
Click to expand...

I'd skip both and wait for a 2017 phone if you already have the 5X.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
-Pyromaniac- said:
Messaging will be the elephant in the room at IO this summer so it'll be interesting to see what they do. Knowing google they'll act oblivious and go on and on about AI and Bots though.

I think the best solution is to either refocus on hangouts, which they wont do. Or repurpose the Messenger app. It already has a shitton of installs because it's the default messaging app. It's simple and clean. Just add chatting functionality and a web app and that's it. Build Duo into it as well. Scrap Allo.
Click to expand...
I don't even understand why it's called "Messenger" when it doesn't act as one.
 
T

ty_hot

Member
My OnePlus 3T just arrived. Beautiful phone (got the gold one). Fingerprint seems much faster than the 6P. Solid build quality. I am updating it now, hope everything goes OK.

Gonna be hard to decide which one to keep (6P x OP3T). Probably the latter. As it has physical buttons the available space in screen seems to be the same, even though it's 5.5 against 5.7.
 
T

ty_hot

Member
OP3T updated, I set everything up. Screen is great (changed to sRGB mode for less tiring colors). Phone is super fast, amazing. The camera doesn't seem as good as it seemed (which already wasn't much).

I installed everything, then went app per app to check their settings, to make sure all settings are right. Specially those related to data. Then I came back to an app that I opened 15-20 apps before because I remembered my login... It was still in the RAM, no slowdown, no loading. This is amazing.

I couldn't get more than 200Mbps in Speed test (I have a 300Mbps connection, with an AC router that is capable of that), but that is fast enough.

Dash charging is damn fast, unbelievable. I had 20% after updating the phone, then I started charging and installed my apps... I didn't pay attention to the time, but quickly it was over 75%!
 
A

alpinestars1980

Member
I actually really like Allo.

Yes, I know it's really stupid about how it handles SMS but past that, it's awesome.

It's the most fluid messaging app I use by far. I got my wife, son, and close friends on it and it's all we use. It's great.

If you can get your people on it (I know, it sucks to have to do so) you'll love it.
 
L

Laekon

Member
alpinestars1980 said:
I actually really like Allo.

Yes, I know it's really stupid about how it handles SMS but past that, it's awesome.

It's the most fluid messaging app I use by far. I got my wife, son, and close friends on it and it's all we use. It's great.

If you can get your people on it (I know, it sucks to have to do so) you'll love it.
Click to expand...
This is why I don't get messaging apps vs just using sms. You don't have to worry about who is on what app, you just txt them.
 
A

alpinestars1980

Member
Laekon said:
This is why I don't get messaging apps vs just using sms. You don't have to worry about who is on what app, you just txt them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, ideally that's what Allo should be and what Messenger (from Google) will probably be once all carriers activate RCS within Messenger.

It is annoying to deal with.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Laekon said:
This is why I don't get messaging apps vs just using sms. You don't have to worry about who is on what app, you just txt them.
Click to expand...
Messenger apps allow the use of gifs, videos and stickers. It might not be important to you, but it's pretty great in a group chat.

I could never go back to simple SMS.
 
V

VanMardigan

has calmed down a bit.
brotkasten said:
Messenger apps allow the use of gifs, videos and stickers. It might not be important to you, but it's pretty great in a group chat.

I could never go back to simple SMS.
Click to expand...

This is why iMessage is so great. So good. At least until you want to leave the Apple ecosystem.
 
T

this_guy

Member
alpinestars1980 said:
Right, but, if Google would fix the SMS implementation of Allo it would be a ubiquitous solution since Google doesn't withhold their software.
Click to expand...

Allo needs more attention then that to be fixed. You should be able to message from multiple devices, not just a single phone.

newdayrocks said:
New Google Voice app is so much better. I dig it.
Click to expand...

I switched my Google Voice texts from Hangouts back to the Voice app. It looks nicer, and since Google mentioned RCS text messaging will be coming to Google Voice it'll be my messaging app. I can't believe they overlooked allowing you to delete text message threads (current solution is to go into a conversation and delete all texts individually).
 
A

alpinestars1980

Member
this_guy said:
Allo needs more attention then that to be fixed. You should be able to message from multiple devices, not just a single phone.
Click to expand...

I know it needs a wider adoption. That's why I'm here singing its praises. ;)

Totally agree. It has problems like every app. Despite the issues I still find it way better than other apps.
 
J

jambo

Member
Using this Nexus 5 has been a pain.

It's had about 5-6 security updates in a row, which all require a 15-20 minute process of updating and then optimising apps.

They don't stack, so after each one is done I get a notification about the next one...
 
T

ty_hot

Member
mingoguaya said:
Use the app IFTTT. I have this exact setup. It works beautifully.
Click to expand...
Thanks, it seems perfect. I also added mute/unmute when arriving at work and when arriving at home. Left the notifications on just to be sure it all works in the first days, then will just turn it off and enjoy.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
Well, one step further on the rumors of a new Xperia Premium phone this year:


https://twitter.com/Ricciolo1/status/826880118652035072


For what it is worth, another source on another forum I visit claims the new Xperia Premium will have a 4k display, it might or might not be at MWC and the launch is around June to go along with the new Spiderman movie in July

If it winds up being true I'll give it consideration over the next Ultra.
 
Bboy AJ

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
I'm very much enjoying iOS. I got over all the issues from switching from Android. There are still some big problems, like Google stuff not working as well. Inbox doesn't give me notifications on the icon. Photos syncing is not as nuanced as Android. But I am enjoying my experience. I actually bought an Apple Watch and am now switched over. Still using the SE and shelved my 7+. The 7+ feels terrible compared to the SE. The 6 design is awful. I miss force touch and a few of the 7+ improvements, like LTE-A and better Touch ID. For those jonesing for a new phone but know Android has had two off years, pick up a used iPhone until Pixel 2.

Still keeping my Android tablet. It just works better than iOS when you want to tinker more than you would a phone. Really wish that alleged new Nexus tablet would come out. I've been using my busted up ZenPad for months :(
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Yeah I dig my iphone 7. No real complaints at all. The only reason I haven't gotten an apple watch is I fear I flipflop too much between android and iphone. If the pixel 2 underwhelms and I end up signing 2 years on an 8, I think I'm just going to stick with it and get the watch though.

Only time will tell.
 
T

this_guy

Member
Bboy AJ said:
I'm very much enjoying iOS. I got over all the issues from switching from Android. There are still some big problems, like Google stuff not working as well. Inbox doesn't give me notifications on the icon. Photos syncing is not as nuanced as Android. But I am enjoying my experience. I actually bought an Apple Watch and am now switched over. Still using the SE and shelved my 7+. The 7+ feels terrible compared to the SE. The 6 design is awful. I miss force touch and a few of the 7+ improvements, like LTE-A and better Touch ID. For those jonesing for a new phone but know Android has had two off years, pick up a used iPhone until Pixel 2.

Still keeping my Android tablet. It just works better than iOS when you want to tinker more than you would a phone. Really wish that alleged new Nexus tablet would come out. I've been using my busted up ZenPad for months :(
Click to expand...

This would have never happened if Osiris was still with us...
 
Bboy AJ

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
All these rumors of the iPhone 8 and possibly Pixel 2 being these huge game changers is too good to be true. I can't see the bezel monster iPhone suddenly turning into a Mi Mix. I don't see the Pixel 2 being a huge change in the Pixel 2. It'll be what the Pixel 1 should have been, which is a great first effort, but not quite fully realized. Pixel 1 is still best Android phone but it's not particularly different than a Nexus.

Hurry up, Fall 17.

this_guy said:
This would have never happened if Osiris was still with us...
Click to expand...
I know he's out there reading this OT. RIP.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Too much smoke for there not to be fire on the iphone 8 rumours. It will definitely cost more though. I guess all phones are costing more so it's not saying much.

Interesting indeed. Pixel 2 I have really high expectations. They've seen the feedback, they have a full development cycle, they know everyone is bringing their A game this year. Should be fun to see.
 
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