Google Allo Features Leaked Again; Include End-to-End Encryption and More

The stream of leaks for Google's upcoming text messaging app Allo doesn't seem to stop, and the latest leaks suggest that the app, despite being extremely uncomplicated, will ensure the privacy of its users by providing the option of end-to end encryption for the chats.

As per information received from early testers of the app by Android Police, Allo will include an option of incognito conversations, within which unique identity keys will be provided to each participant to ensure end-to-end encryption. The site points out that Google Assistant will not be able to work inside the incognito chats due to encryption.

To provide a rather secure messaging experience, the notifications for incognito chats are private and instead of revealing content of the message, notification just tells you that you received a message. To further distinguish these chats, the background for these chats has been kept different from standard background. The background in incognito chats is in dark blue grey shade and has a "hat-plus-eyeglasses graphic" similar to the one found in Google Chrome's incognito mode.

One of the most interesting features that comes alongside incognito chats is the ability to send messages with expiry times. With this feature the sender can send a message and the message gets deleted automatically, even from receiver's chat, after a certain duration of time, which has to be decided in advance.

In order to set the duration for which the message will be available for the receiver, the sender has to choose the option available on top-right of the chat window, right next to the profile pic of the recipient. The expiry times for individual messages can be changed throughout the length of the conversation but must be set before each message is sent.

Another leak suggests the inclusion of an important feature that was absent in Hangouts. As per the leak, Allo will have a universal search option, which will not only let you search the content inside all of your conversations (apart from incognito conversations) but also search groups, contacts etc. As per Android Police, the search option is "quite extensive" and also includes the automated messages sent by Google Assistant.

Of all the features leaked thus far, the most disappointing one will be the absence of a backup option with the app. As of now, the app does not seem to include any option for a backup and if you uninstall or even move your SIM card to a new phone and authenticate Allo on it, you lose all of the messages that were sent or received by you.

There is a possibility that a cloud backup system, which could be inactive presently, might be a part of Google's plans for the backup of the conversations on the app but with the test build, there is no other option available for backup.

It should be kept in mind that all these leaks have come from the test build of the app and the final build can possibly have a different look and features altogether.