Today Google officially entered the social sign-in space with the launch of Google+ Sign-In. This new functionality will allow Google+ to compete against Facebook who has been the leader in the space since 2011. Instead of a normal Google account the new feature leverages Google+ credentials to sign-in to a mobile or Web app.
So why would marketers use Google+ Sign-In? Besides targeting social spam (as they claim), the biggest benefit is that Social Sign-In helps make the overall experience seamless.
With the vast variety of projects that Google maintains (Android to Chromebooks to Chrome to Google+) this one-and-done login can help bridge the gap between devices.
Unlike Facebook who pushed their way into the app space, Google is a leader in apps with Google Play and has unique opportunities for Android devices.
Google+ Sign-In will allow users to install an app to their Android phone from a website in their Chrome browser if they login using Google+ Sign-In, a great way for marketers to boost app installs. Simply put, the power of Google+ Social Sign-In lies in the ability to make the overall web/mobile experience frictionless.
Security
From day one, the biggest draw that Google used for Google+ was security and simplicity — messaging that you’ll see with Google+ Sign-In. Users are prompted for 2-step verification (unlike Facebook) and simply have to sign up with the new sign-in button, enter credentials and confirm.
To manage permissions, just head to the plus.google.com/apps page or view Google Settings on your Android device.
Desktop & Mobile Together
As mentioned earlier, the real power of this login is the ability to sync the mobile and desktop experience together. One click app installs can occur directly on an Android device if a visitor uses Google+ Sign-In on the Web:
Better Sharing
The sharing within Google+ Sign-In is aimed to help users share more selectively while also providing interactive content. In a dig towards Facebook, the official Google post states that it won’t: spray ‘frictionless’ updates all over the stream.
Users will be able to assign circles to decide who to share content with:
Additionally, items shared from apps can also prompt users to interact. An example would be a podcast listened to on TuneIn that is shared to Google+ would allow friends to open up the specific podcast within the TuneIn application.
A sample app, PhotoHunt, has been created to showcase the overall Google+ Sign-In experience and full developer information can be found on the Google+ page.
For more information see the official Google+ blog post. All images courtesy of Google.
Postscript: See our follow-up story, Is The Google+ “Spam-Free” Sign-In Really That Different From Facebook?
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