Google acquires ‘smart chat app’ Emu

Google has acquired the “smart chat app” Emu, which displays contextual information in chats, for an undisclosed amount. The app will therefore soon cease to exist. It is not yet clear what Google wants with the app.

The team behind Emu has announced the acquisition on its website. The app makes an effort to understand users’ messages while providing contextual information. For example, the program understands when someone makes a proposal to make an appointment, showing the contents of the agenda. If someone suggests a cafe or restaurant, the relevant Yelp rating is shown.

At the moment the app only works in English, but for users of the app the end is in sight: from August 25 the app will no longer be supported and it will no longer be possible to send messages.

Google may want to use the technology and the people behind Emu to provide Hangouts with contextual information. Wired even suspects that Google wants to use the technology to integrate ads into Hangouts, but that’s speculation for now.

A salient detail is that Emu was initially available as an Android app, but that the company later made the switch to iOS and discontinued support for the Android app. Emu argued that the company was experiencing too much fragmentation on Android, referring to the large amount of devices available with different screen resolutions and specifications.