Google's Allo chat service finally arrives on the web... with a few catches

[sincity]

Google Allo is now supported on the web, letting you carry on chats as you type away on your laptop or desktop without having to pick up your phone (a hassle, we know). 

Web support for Allo was teased months ago, and now Google has made good on its promise, though there are a few important caveats. 

First, you must have Allo on an Android phone in order to use the service on the web. iPhone support is "coming soon", but it's not available now. Second, Allo for web is supported by one browser at the moment: Google's own Chrome. 

Amit Fulay, Allo's head of product, tweeted Google is "actively working on supporting more" browsers, though he didn't offer a timeline. 

Allo for web is paired with the Android app and needs the app in order to run, though a number of features are missing from the web. 

These include the ability to connect/switch/remove Google accounts, add or remove members from an existing group, back up info, change privacy and notification settings, and take photos.

To fire up Allo for web, head to allo.google.com. You'll see a QR code on the page. On your phone, open the Allo app, then go to Menu > Allo for web > Scan QR code. Scan the QR code on your browser, and tada! 

Google will no doubt flush out Allo for the web as time goes on, and with iPhone support on the way, more people will be able to use it soon.

This is a big move for Allo as it's struggled to catch on, especially compared to its companion app, the video chatting Google Duo. Duo currently has between 100,000,000 to 500,000,000 installs on Android, while Allo has between 10,000,000 to 50,000,000 on the platform. 

Google's plan is to have Allo and Duo serve as its consumer chat services while Hangouts takes over the enterprise side's needs. Web support is an important piece to getting more people using Allo, but whether it's enough to win over users remains to be seen.

• Get caught up on the Google Pixel 2