The character Barb from Netflix show “Stranger Things.” Netflix
Google is using its new messaging app Allo to send people on a “Stranger Things”-inspired scavenger hunt.
Today only in New York City — that’s Friday, October 28 — users of Allo, Google’s AI-powered messaging app, can embark on a scavenger hunt to locate Barb, one of the show’s characters who mysteriously disappeared.
According to Engadget, if you ask Google’s Assistant within Allo “Where is Barb?”, it will reveal the first location of the hunt, which will take you throughout the city.
The hunt could result in winning prizes, like a BMX bike, Pentax camera or a Panasonic boombox, according to Engadget.
Google itself was mysterious about the scavenger hunt, writing only this on its official blog:
Google Allo will help you unlock your powers today in New York City. Stay tuned to Google on Twitter for a hint on where the drop-off from Hawkins National Laboratories will take place.
Google is also unveiling new features to the Allo app, including a new “Stranger Things”-inspired sticker pack, the option to reply to messages directly from your notifications on both Android and iOS, and split-screen mode, which is a feature of Android N. The option to draw on photos, which was only available for Android users at launch, is now available on iOS.
The Allo app was the first Google product to use Google’s Assistant, which uses AI to help answer questions and provide information, much like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa (Google has now added the Assistant to its new Pixel phone and Google Home device, too). By the end of September, Allo had reached 5 million downloads in the Google Play store, five days after it launched. But the company is mostly letting the app’s user base grow organically, opting not to make it standard on its new phone or requiring it of Android phone developers. The app is now No. 96 on the Play store’s top free apps.
