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Google Allo messaging app launches at I/O

Google Allo messaging app launches at I/O
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A sneak peak of what the future holds for Android, Google's artificial intelligence pursuits, and virutal reality.

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Google announces messaging app Allo at I/O developer conference in Mountain View, Calif.(Photo: Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY)

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Say hello to Allo. 

Google debuted its new messaging app to rival Facebook Messenger at I/O, its annual software developers conference.

The messaging app has a twist: It's not just for chatting with friends and family. You can ask Google questions the way you would a digital assistant such as Siri.

Google exec Erik Kay says Allo with Google assistant built in brings "the richness of Google right into your chats."

Allo (pronounced aloe, not allo) will also feature Duo, which is a video chat platform that allows users to see the caller before answering.

Google has seven products with 1 billion users apiece including Gmail, YouTube and search, but it missed out on the new wave of messaging apps which are some of the world's most popular apps. Its two messaging services — Messenger and Hangouts — lag Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger as well as Tencent Holdings' WeChat, the most popular messaging app in China.

Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger each have 1 billion users. Facebook Messenger is working on its own digital assistant M and launched "chat bots" at Facebook's developer conference in April.

You sign up with your phone number. Allo will be available this summer on iOS and Android.

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