Aura in the UK, by Telefónica

[Chris_K]

Hey everyone,

At MWC 2018 Telefónica shared more information and details around Aura. Aura is Telefónica's new cognitive artificial intelligence platform which can answer questions about your account and will adapt to your needs the more it’s used. Aura has been released in different capacities in different markets – in the UK, Telefónica has integrated Aura into a new app, O2 Ask, and this is just the start of the Aura journey.

You can view the full Telefónica press release on Aura and O2 Ask here.

What is O2 Ask?
O2 Ask gives customers more choice and flexibility in how they get in touch with us. O2 Ask features Aura, Telefónica's new cognitive intelligence technology to answer questions customers may have about their accounts. Customers can also use O2 Ask to message an advisor using our new in-app messaging service. In addition, the new app also includes a calling and messaging feature enabling customers to make calls and send messages to other O2 Ask users over wifi, as well as make calls over wifi to any UK number.

What else can you do with O2 Ask?
As well as the above, you can manage your O2 account, or let Aura do it for you. You can also manage your personal account details. In terms of managing your account, some of the functionality available includes being able to view your account to check your usage, view your bills, make payments, change tariffs, buy more data and add or remove Bolt-Ons, and more.We continue to work hard on O2 Ask and over time we’ll add more and more features & functionality to it, so stay tuned.

How do I get O2 Ask?
If you’re an O2 Pay Monthly customer with one account, O2 Ask is already available on the App Store and Google Play. For customers who have multiple accounts or that are unable to use O2 Ask, our My O2 app continues to be available. O2 Ask will become available to more customers as we continue to develop the app.

[jonsie]

At last an official announcement and we can talk openly about it.. 

Some of us have been using it a couple of weeks now and whist it isn't a straight replacement for TU, it's going to be of great benefit to customers.

Just a disappointing feature is that others have to have the app installed to receive texts. I sincerely hope this is going to be remedied once O2 have worked out how to include text messaging alongside wifi calling. 

[MI5]

It just needs sorting out for multiple accounts now.....

[jonsie]

Well you know O2 and their baby steps.... 

[madasaf1sh]

So basically a merged My o2 app and Tu Go app, but yet again not available to all users in the UK..

[gmarkj]

You can send text messages to non Ask users @jonsie and you can reply to normal texts that you get as well.
You can also call UK numbers if you have an allowance and it will come out of that.
However it will not pick up calls if you have no mobile signal.

[Cleoriff]

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@gmarkjwrote:
You can send text messages to non Ask users @jonsie and you can reply to normal texts that you get as well.

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That's interesting/confusing @gmarkj?

@Chris_K's post specifically states

In addition, the new app also includes a calling and messaging feature enabling customers to make calls and send messages to other O2 Ask users over wifi, as well as make calls over wifi to any UK number.

I think we need clarification on that aspect?

[Cleoriff]

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@MI5wrote:
It just needs sorting out for multiple accounts now.....

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And those on business contracts.

[gmarkj]

Sorry @Cleoriff, I'll try to be clearer.
In the app you have different types of message you can send.
You can either send messages via the app only (think iMessage or FB messenger) or choose to send as a text (it says SMS in the app).
It picks up SMS messages that are received so you can reply using the Ask app if no mobile signal.
You can also call UK numbers (landline or mobile) which i think come from your monthly allowance.
However if you have no mobile signal but are on WiFi calls do not divert to the app.

[MI5]

My understanding was that ask to ask calls over WiFi would work without a mobile signal.