It's been about 3 months since Google released its new video calling app, Duo, and just under two months since Allo, its new messaging app, was released. These two services were a pretty big deal at Google I/O earlier this year, but despite the intriguing features of both apps, skepticism was prevalent - even among enthusiasts - considering Google's history of support (or lack thereof) for their other messaging services, namely Google Talk (RIP) and Hangouts.

So how are things going a few months after the fact?

I wrote about my initial impressions of both. I was, and remain, pleasantly surprised by Duo. If you're looking for a no-frills video call app, Duo is an exceptionally simple choice. I've already recommended Duo to a couple of people who have downloaded it and agreed that its simplicity is an appealing factor, and have even kept it. I don't do much video calling myself, but when I do I use Duo when I can.

Allo, on the other hand, I'm not as happy with. I'm willing to adopt new messaging platforms if they're ultimately better than the one that I'm using. I've written a couple of times how I've become fond of Textra since returning to Android back in May, which is the app that I continue to use today. Allo had potential – and I guess it still has potential – but without SMS support or a desktop client, it just won't catch on.

Well, I guess I can't say it doesn't support SMS. It technically does, but in an extremely annoying way. When you send an SMS to a friend who isn't using Allo, they're pandered to download the app each time you send a text. I wasn't about to keep dealing with that, so texting people with Allo is currently out of the question. Allo developers have hinted that they could be adding SMS support in the future, along with a desktop client, Duo integration, and some other features that really should have been there from the get-go. Today, Google announced that they would add themes and sticker predictions (you know, the important stuff). As a messaging app, Allo is a flop.

Despite its shortcomings, Allo isn't completely useless. Allo is currently the only way for most Android users to access the Google Assistant, which I found to be quite enjoyable. However, I'm more excited at the prospect of Google Assistant being integrated into Android rather than going through Allo, like it is on Pixel devices.

I'm torn. I do like Duo, but I wanted to like both Duo and Allo. I wanted a messaging system on Android that made me stop missing iMessage, and Google's current iteration of Duo and Allo simply don't do that for me. There's a good chance that the apps flourish and are unified in time, but I'm just not sure I can put that kind of faith in Google yet. I loved where Hangouts was heading once upon a time, but instead of working on fixing it issues, Google went in a completely different direction that ultimately ended up in the company supporting three different messaging apps. Not only do we have Hangouts and Allo, but there's also Google Messenger, which is currently working on rolling out RCS (Rich Communication Services). There's just a lot going on, and none of it is unified, nor does it make much sense.

I suppose it is nice that Duo and Allo are currently separate apps, because I likely would not care for Duo if I had to use it with Allo in its current state. I'll continue to use Duo for video calls, but when it comes to messaging I'm going to pass on Allo and Messenger and stick with Textra, who is also (thankfully) working on implementing RCS and has plenty of other features that I enjoy.

Readers, what are your thoughts on Allo and Duo? Have you adopted either app, or are you sticking with something else? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!