Are you still using Allo? I didn't think so. For the duration of this article, try to pretend that you do. Trust me, it'll make this easier on all of us. So, that super-cool chat app Allo is getting some new features. Emoji and GIFs are better, and Assistant can be accessed with less typing. I know you're all excited because you love Allo so much.

The new GIF search feature is accessed from the recently added emoji/sticker button (it's in the text field). Tap that and scroll all the way to the right. From there, you can search for a GIF and insert it in the chat. When adding an emoji from the quick menu or the full list, drag the send button up to make it big and animated. You can already make emoji big, but now the top of the size scale also adds animation.

On the more functional end of the scale, there's a change to how Assistant is accessed. Currently, you have to type "@google" to get the Assistant to respond to a request. With this update, you can just tap the Assistant button in the text field.

I'm sure this and the above changes will increase your enjoyment of Allo, which you use every single day with all your friends and family. You can grab the Allo 7.0 APK from APKMirror, but keep in mind that some of these features are still rolling out.

UPDATE: 2017/03/09 8:08am PST BY

The official changelog was published on the Play Store and it mentions one more change we have missed: Android Auto support.

WHAT'S NEW

• Animated emojis: Bring emojis to life. Just hold the send button and slide up to animate.

• Android Auto support: Enjoy hands-free messaging when you're on the go.

• Bug fixes: Performance improvements for a better chatting experience.

Source: Google Blog