competition. On a daily basis, social and communication apps make for 68% of global app
usage. Brand names like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Vibe, WeChat have already become
popular over the world and are being used for free and instant communication.
Google comes into the picture
Google has been in the research and development market for a long time. Combining its
artificial intelligence expertise and chatbot technology, it is looking forward to release a
messaging service which does not have a name yet. This move is aimed at grabbing the market
competition that is ruled by the likes of Facebook Messenger.
Chatbot technology
Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google is said to be looking forward to integrate chatbot
technology inside the messaging app. This software replies to questions inside the app by
tracking information from the net and other sources. It can be used in place of web search as IM
solutions are going to be a one stop solution for all consumer needs in the future. Users can
message their friends and contacts too which is the prerequisite of any such service.
Google is trying to bring a company under its umbrella that is dedicated to making chatbots
related to weather, dating, image search, etc.
Reason behind the initiative
Google already has couple of messaging apps like Hangout, but they are far behind entities like
Facebook in the race. Facebook Messenger is the leading app with each US user accessing it
at least once a month.
Facebook has released their Messenger app separate from the main Facebook app. They have
been toiling hard for past 2 years to develop the real time chat solution application. On April
2015, Facebook added the functionality of free voice calls on Wifi and mobile networks.
It also released Messenger Business aimed for customer support service by enterprises. The
application can be used by companies to update the customer in real time about shipping
details or send invoice. It is also working on developing a kind of virtual assistant called M which
is meant users perform tasks like booking hotels and flights.
With competition being so tough, Google has no other choice but to look for an alternative real
time chat solution and messaging app that could appeal to the users. Only time can tell how the
application will fare among users of OTT apps.
So, should we be waiting for something new?
We definitely are waiting for something new from Google’s stables. However, as recent
experiences from Google Plus has taught us, not everything Google is good. The company has
to seriously rev up its game it wants to be in serious competition with a messaging app like
Whatsapp that is popular all over the world. Or else, we might just have another Google Glass
project out there that died in its beta version itself.