Update: Canadians can once again pre-register for both Allo and Duo! Hit it up here Google Allo and Google Duo
Google unveiled two new apps today, one for messaging and the other for video calling. Allo and Duo will be available this summer to iOS and Android users.
Shortly after the completing its keynote presentation, Google opened up pre-registration for the apps. Canadians who were quick to access the site, including us, submitted their name to possibly gain early access.
Unfortunately, Canadians have now been shunned from pre-registering for Allo and Duo. When visiting the website from a Canadian IP address, users are greeted with the following message: “Sorry! This content is not available in your country yet. We’re working to bring the content you love to more countries as quickly as possible. Please check back again soon.”
Allo is a messaging app that aims to make conversations more productive through machine learning. Allo learns from the user’s conversations and gives them the ability to express themselves with several new features, including one called whisper shout. In addition, Allo adds an incognito mode that ensures messages are encrypted. Google also states Allo will be one of the first apps to work with Google Assistant.
As for Duo, Google has created a new video calling app. While Hangouts is very much alive, Duo works with Allo also features end-to-end encryption and allows the user to first see a video preview of the caller before engaging in a conversation.
We have reached out to Google for clarification and inclusion of pre-registration for Canadians.
[source] Google Allo, Google Duo [/source]
