Allo 5.0 teardown reveals new features, some activated and some hidden

The folks over at 9to5Google have found some interesting features that are coming with the latest Allo 5.0 update, some already activated like Chrome Custom Tabs, and some hidden for later.

In their usual APK teardown, 9to5Google has given us a glimpse into what features are coming with the latest Google Allo update. The most obvious addition is Chrome Custom Tabs: essentially an in-app browser, now when you click on a web link, you will be able to see it within the Allo app, not unlike what Facebook or Slack has done.

That way, it saves you the time of switching back and forth between apps. The top bar of the in-app browser even matches your chatroom theme! Of course, if you prefer it to open up your default browser, you can disable the feature in settings.

Now, there are other features other than Chrome Custom Tabs, but it seems like Google isn’t quite ready to flip the switch on for those. One of them is a button that can generate stickers based on your selfie. Although it’s not clear how this will work – or even how well this will work – the basic idea is that you will get a sticker pack that is based on your very own face. Google will reportedly then ask you for your feedback so that it can improve its algorithm.

According to 9to5Google, there are some indications that Google may be considering recruiting beta testers more actively in the future, and there is also evidence that Google will be prompting users to rate the app in the Play Store (although that may or may not have been activated already).

If you are not using Allo and would like to try it, feel free to click the button below to download it!

What are your thoughts on Google’s selfie-based sticker pack? Cool or creepy? Let us know by leaving a comment down below!