Google allo updates with backup, restore and incognito mode in group chats

Google Allo has received a new update on Android that adds various functions to the application. Specifically, as the main novelty we can highlight the inclusion of a backup and restoration function for chats, as well as the possibility of maintaining group chats in an incognito mode.

Incognito mode in group chats

As its name suggests, incognito group chats allow users to set timers for chats, making messages disappear after a certain period of time. The option to make the messages disappear is not new, since it was initially implemented by Snapchat, and now it was also adopted by WhatsApp.

Interestingly, Allo's incognito mode brings end-to-end encryption. Unlike Allo's incognito mode for individual chats, group chats mode doesn't have support for Google Assistant or smart responses.

New features in #GoogleAllo rolling out today! Chat backup / restore, incognito mode for groups and link preview pic.twitter.com/v7uc3unGkG

- Amit Fulay (@amitfulay) May 3, 2017

Backup and restore

Apart from group chats with incognito mode, Google Allo also launches a function for backup and restoration in chats. This feature allows users to back up chats to local memory on their devices or to Google Drive. Along with chats, users can also back up photos or videos, but it will be for them to decide whether or not the backups should also include multimedia content.

On the other hand, the new update also adds the rich link preview function in Allo, so that users will see a preview of the links that are placed in the chats without having to open them in advance.

Finally, note that Google is preparing for the release of a version of Allo for PCs that would work in a similar way to the web or desktop version of WhatsApp. Users should simply scan a QR code to make it work. For now, the exact date of the launch of this new version of Google Allo is not known.