Messaging services do deserve the limelight as they are amongst the most popular mobile apps with a recent research from Portio Research ltd. saying that the Messaging apps have more than two billion users. While WhatsApp rules the roost globally, WeChat still maintains the numero uno position in China. Right now all of these apps are looking beyond just connecting people and trying to bake in new features which will help the users to perform other tasks without leaving the Messenger. Flipkart’s Ping service is a small example of what a Messenger app can transpire to be. Google is planning to integrate chatbots, other software programs inside the messaging app. This is something that Slack, the team messaging app has already began working on and moreover they have also setup a dedicated fund for developers. It is still unclear on what the Google will be calling the Messenger app and when it will be launched. Google had earlier proposed to buy 200 Labs Inc, a startup that builds chatbots, and although the deal didn’t see the light of the day it sure does point out at the fact that Google has a new Messenger service up their sleeve. These new intelligent messengers we are talking about will require the users to type out the query and the Chatbots will respond. Behind the scenes, Google would be routing the query to the specific bot which would run the service. WeChat is already doing something similar. The move seems to be fueled by the need for Google to stay uptight in the Messenger race, since that is one of the very few arenas wherein they lack the traction. Google, unlike Facebook, faces an issue unique to its chat applications, it is no secret that Google Hangouts failed to take off as expected and this will make it tougher to bring people on-board the new Messenger application. That being said, Google might gain an upper hand when it comes to integrating the app with its search algorithms and other related services, thanks to the amount of data they already have.
