Several months after "pausing investment" in the service, Google is officially shutting down Allo, its messaging rival to the likes of Apple iMessage, Facebook Chat and WhatsApp.

The search giant said in a blog post Wednesday that the app will work through March. Until then, users will be able to export their existing conversation history.

"We've learned a lot from Allo, particularly what's possible when you incorporate machine learning features, like the Google Assistant, into messaging," the post says.

Attention will now shift to Messages, Google's Android-based messaging app. That comes with a focus on RCS, which is set to give Android users advanced messaging features like read receipts and higher-resolution image-sharing capabilities. Additionally, Google will continue to support Hangouts for group chat and Duo for video chat.

"We're ... ready to take what we've learned from Allo and put it to work to make Messages even better," Google's post reads. "And by refocusing on Messages and Duo for consumers and Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet for team collaboration, we're focused on delivering a simpler and more unified communications experience for all of you."

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