Allo — the messenger client Google announced at Google I/O 2016 that leverages Google Assistant — has a lot of people scratching their heads while thinking that the last thing we need is yet another messenger client. Our own Dan Bader does a great job breaking down why Google "needs" Allo to showcase new technology in a mobile-first way, but for the users — you and me and your Grandma — there are already pages full of messengers that work in Google Play. It feels like Allo will be just another app you can use to chat with friends that has a cool feature or two — just like the handful of other apps you use to chat with your friends that has a cool feature or two; one that some folks will try for a while, then move on. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines That could very well be the case, and Allo just won't catch on. But there is an alternative way to think. What if there was an app that had the simple appeal of Apple's iMessage, but was available for every person using an iPhone or an Android?

Apple has good reason to keep iMessage to themselves, so we're still looking for the right app to fill the void on 80% of the phones out there. If you've used iMessage, you probably know what I mean here. If you haven't, think of Hangouts or WhatsApp without a million settings or options, and instead just lets you chat with anyone who also uses it, or send and receive SMS messages from anyone with a phone. Right out of the box, as long as you're signed-in, iMessage just does what it does. No fiddling with multiple accounts and multiple settings pages, no support issues when switching from one phone to the next (as long as both phones support it), and no digging through options to sort out merging SMS messages with "regular" messages or any sort of setup. Pick up your phone, tap the icon and just chat with anyone. That's something a lot of people want, but less than 20% can do because iMessage is tied to one platform. The obvious solution is for Apple to open up iMessage to everyone. That's not going to happen any time soon. We tend to forget that Apple isn't in the business of selling software, even though some of their software is done very nicely. Apple wants to sell you iPhones and iPads and Macs. Part of the way they can do that is by having software that people want to use locked in to their products, and not sitting in every app store. As long as they continue to make giant stacks of money every quarter, they have no incentive to branch out and become a services company, and we end up trying to find other apps that will work for us. Allo could be that app, and unified messaging doesn't have to be a joke.