Skip to main content

The Google Assistant can now call up personal info via Allo

allo for web
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Allo, a member of a cadre of Google messaging apps that includes Duo, Spaces, Messenger, and Voice, is more than just another way to keep in touch with friends. It’s one of the few ways most Android users can interact with the Google Assistant, Google’s artificially intelligent service that’s otherwise reserved for the Pixel and Google Home. It’s already pretty smart — it can toggle a flashlight, set reminders, ask for directions, and even take screenshots — but now, it’s becoming even more cognizant with the addition of personal reminders.

Personal reminders, which became available for some users Wednesday morning, provide a convenient way to store contacts, calendar appointments, airline reservations, phone numbers, and more with the Google Assistant. Typing “@google” (without quotes) in an Allo conversation pulls up the Assistant, and tapping on the Assistant icon shows you all the information it has on hand. (Try asking “What are my upcoming flights,” for example, or “Show me my upcoming appointments.”) A subsequent Share option lets you share the information with another chat participant.

Recommended Videos

Unfortunately, there aren’t many tweakable parameters. You can’t share information with another contact in a one-on-one Allo conversation, and you can’t keep requests for information from Allo hidden from folks who might be keen on perusing your history. But the ability to share information could be useful in certain situations. You can have the Assistant provide a friend’s contact info in a group conversation, for example, or have the Google Assistant call up flight details in a conversation with fellow travelers.

As Engadget points out, the feature isn’t exactly groundbreaking. Google Hangouts, one of Allo’s predecessors, gained the ability to offer “smart suggestions” based on contextual clues a few months back — if a friend asks “where are you?” for instance, it will prompt you to share your location. And Facebook recently launched a feature for its “M” Messenger AI assistant that offers you the opportunity to share your location, respond to messages with appropriate stickers, or even point friends in the direction of shopping and travel info.

The personal reminders function appears to be a server-side change, meaning not everyone’s likely to see it right away. But as long as you’ve updated to the latest version of Allo, you’ve got the best shot at getting it first.

Google’s under pressure to prop up Allo’s declining popularity. It took the app four days to score 5 million downloads after its September 2016 launch day, but an additional three months to accumulate another 5 million downloads. And last week, Android Police reported that the messaging app has dropped out of the top 500 most-downloaded apps on the Play Store.

A lack of desktop client and SMS support are likely to blame for the recent dips, but if Google keeps adding new features at a steady clip, there might yet be a chance to reverse the downward trend.

Kyle Wiggers
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
Finally, you can use a Google Nest smart speaker or display to find an iPhone
you can now use google assistant find your iphone my with

How often do you put your iPhone down and then forget where it is? If you're like most people, it happens more often than you'd care to admit. There's good news -- Google Assistant can now help you find your iPhone. While this isn't new for Android owners, support for the iPhone is no doubt a welcome addition.

All you have to do is say, "Hey Google, find my phone," and Google will ring your number. It doesn't matter if you have your phone on silent or not; it will still ring. This works even on iPhones, so don't worry if you aren't an Android or Google phone user. You can still take full advantage of the feature.

Read more
How to use Google Assistant, plus all the ‘OK, Google’ commands you need to know
google assistant go news how can i help you

One of the best things about using Google on your smartphone is the voice commands. Using just your voice you can get your device to do all sorts of things on your behalf. It's fast, convenient, and still feels a bit like the future. The complete list of "OK, Google" commands and compatible apps and devices has grown considerably over time, meaning there are likely things you can do with Google that you're not even aware of. To find out more, check out everything you need to know about Google Assistant.

If you own an Android device, you might want to turn on "OK, Google" so that you can start using Google Assistant without having to tap the microphone icon. The first thing we need to do is make sure this feature is turned on, so let's see if it is.
Turning on 'OK, Google'

Read more
Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Assistant vs. Alexa

Smart assistants might be the tip of the iceberg in taking away our jobs in the future, but that doesn't mean we can't make use of them in the meantime. Virtual assistants like Cortana, Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa are now a signature feature of smartphones and tablets, so knowing which one is best could have a significant impact on what your next hardware purchase might be.

To see how these different smart assistants measure up, we pitted Cortana versus Siri versus Google Assistant versus Alexa in a virtual assistant head-to-head.

Read more