14 DAY TRIAL // Google is now testing call recording in the Gmail phone call feature. Call recording has been available for Google Voice users, but the dialer now gets a dedicated button for the functionality.
The feature is not available to all users yet, but some have spotted it in the wild, the Google Operating System blog says.
Users that are part of the test will see a 'record' button in the call window. They can start a recording at any time and end it from the same button without necessarily ending the call.
The recorded calls will be saved online and can be accessed just like regular voicemail recordings.
Note that this is not exactly a new feature, Google is just adding the user interface components for the existing call record feature. Google Voice users can record conversations by pressing the '4' key on their phones. They can end the recording using the same key.
These recordings are then available online. However, until now, the feature was only accessible from a phone, it didn't work if you used the Click2Call feature or responded to a voicemail message.
Call recording may not be a crucial feature for most people, but it can be very useful when doing an interview for example or for recording a meeting where you need to catch all the details.
Google Voice may not be getting the backing it should
Google Voice has always had the potential to seriously disrupt the telecommunications industry as we know it and this is more true now that Google integrated the service with Gmail.
However, Google is not making too much fuss about it and it seems to be taking quite a long time to introduce new features.
It's understandable that Google doesn't want to promote or advertise the service too much, it doesn't want the phone companies getting too upset.
It could be that Google is just trying to be more stealthy about it so that by the time phone companies realize what's happening it's too late. Unfortunately, it could very well be that Google doesn't really want to disrupt the industry anymore, especially now that Android is doing so well.
After all, it canceled the Nexus One program which promised to bypass the carriers and sell unlocked phones directly to customers. It also backtracked on its pledge for net neutrality signing an agreement with Verizon that many criticized, perhaps rightfully so.
Android is Google's next 'billion dollar business' so it makes sense to protect it. The operating system's success, still, largely depends on the carriers so Google has to play ball.
Hopefully, once Android is popular enough - it's getting very close - Google will start imposing its own terms. Then again, it may be satisfied enough with raking in billions of dollars to want to change anything.