Google is planning to launch its own messaging app on the lines of WhatsApp according to a report in The Economic Times. Google plans to start testing the said app in India and other emerging markets globally. To that effect Google even sent their product manager Nikhyl Singhal to do a recce of the messaging app ecosystem in India.
Google failed to buy out WhatsApp, for which it had offered $10 billion, to Facebook which ultimately bought the messaging app for a whopping $19 billion. WhatsApp boasts of 65 million users in India of the 600 million global users. Other apps such as WeChat, Viber, Line and most recently Hike too have a user base upwards of 15 million users in India.
The Google messaging app is in the early stages of development and will most likely come out only in 2015, according to sources. This app will not force you to use your Google login credentials. Plans are on to add Indian language support and voice-to-text messaging. Also he messenger will be free to use.
With the launch of the Android One phones in India recently, Google is all set to woo the Indian consumer by offering affordable devices, in which there is a close amalgamation of the hardware and software side of things. With more players getting on the Android One platform, if Google could offer its upcoming messenger app in the native bundle, it could reach a lot of people.
