Google updates Allo with a GIF library, animated emoji, and one tap access to Google Assistant

Google has updated Allo with newer and faster ways to have expressive conversations. The new features are a GIF search capability in the chat window, animated emoji, and one tap access to your personal version of the Google Assistant. The new features are rolling out on Android immediately, and are headed to iOS “soon”.

GIFs can now be searched from the chat window itself, after tapping on the smiley icon, and sliding through the initial set of suggestions. A search bar appears that users can input a text string to search for GIFs in. The update comes soon after Google introduced the @Lucky chatbot to Allo, that allows users to randomly use a relevant GIF in their conversations. A more advanced version of the feature that we want is Google using machine learning and engagement analysis to suggest high quality gifs automatically.

Ten frequently used emoji now have animations, and users can customise the size in which they show up in the chat window by using a scale slider that appears to the right of the screen while posting the animated emoji. The animated emoji are meant to more realistically represent reactions, an improvement over static reactions.

Getting inputs from Google Assistant in the chat is now easier with a new Assistant icon that appears between the smiley icon and the send icon. Google Assistant gives informal answers to the questions, instead of boring responses. For example, if you ask Google Assistant about the weather, Google Assistant will remind you to make sure to take along sunglasses, as against responding with the temperature. The introduction of the new features was announced in Google’s Keyword blog .