Google’s been slowly working towards launching its new Allo chat app and allowing you to pre-register for it for several months already, but small changes in the way the app is being promoted on the Play Store mean you probably want to go ahead and pre-register now if want to know as soon as it’s available for you.

Previously, the Play Store would only show you Allo if you searched for it specifically but it’s now being promoted in the ‘New and Updated’ section too, suggesting it could well be prepping for launch.

It’s already being privately tested with a small group of users, and won’t necessarily require Google’s upcoming Nougat Android OS to work, but Google could still hold it back until the wider rollout of Nougat later this year.

Either way, clicking ‘pre-register’ probably isn’t going to do you any harm if you want to check it out whenever it does arrive.

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All from Google Play Store:
“The Google assistant
Get answers, find information, and get things done without having to leave your conversation.

Smart Reply
Respond to messages without typing a single word. Smart Reply learns over time and suggests responses in your style. It responds to text and photos to help you keep the conversation going.

Ink
Get creative with the photos you send by doodling on them.

Whisper Shout
No more TYPING IN ALL CAPS to get your point across. Say it louder or quieter by changing the size of your text with a quick swipe.

Stickers
Say what you really mean with exclusive stickers designed by independent artists and studios from around the world.

Incognito mode
Chat privately with end-to-end encryption. Control how long your messages stick around with expiring chats. Use private notifications to hide your chats from shoulder surfers.”
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