Google has launched the Google+ sign-in button - which functions in the same manner as Facebook Connect.
The new feature can be used by third-party Web sites and applications, to allow new users to seamlessly sign-in using their existing Google+ account.
According to Reuters, Google hopes the new feature will help it to better track users' activities across the Internet, and give it a stronger foothold in the broader online social ecosystem.
Director of product management for Google+, Seth Sternberg, says: "Whether you're building an app for Android, iOS or the Web, users can now sign in to your app with Google, and bring along their Google+ info for an upgraded experience. It's simple, it's secure, and it prohibits social spam."
Sternberg says any user of Gmail, YouTube or any other Google service will be able to use their existing credentials to sign into services outside of Google. "Just review the Google+ permissions screen (outlining the data you're sharing with the app, and the people who can see your activity), and you're all set. Google+ Sign-In also comes with the protections and safeguards you've come to expect from your Google account (like two-step verification), so you can always sign in with confidence."
The service also offers desktop and mobile integration, so when a user signs into a Web site with Google, they are given the option to install the site's mobile app on their Android device immediately.
Taking a dig at Facebook's frictionless sharing for Timeline, Sternberg says: "With Google+ Sign-In and circles you decide who to share with, if at all. In addition: Google+ doesn't let apps spray 'frictionless' updates all over the stream, so app activity will only appear when it's relevant (like when you're actually looking for it)."
Services that have already implemented the Google+ Sign-in button include Fancy, Flixster, The Guardian, Shazam and USA Today.
User numbers
Google+ is often referred to as a "ghost town" of a social network, and had a relatively lukewarm reception when it launched in 2011. Google has, however, repeatedly emphasised that the intention is not to build a social network to rival all others, but rather to add a social layer to all of its existing services.
There are some conflicting reports about Google+ user numbers. In December last year, comScore said Google+ had 100 million monthly active users - compared to over a billion on Facebook.
In January, GlobalWebIndex reported that Google+ has grown to become the second largest social network in the world. "Google+, which despite being branded a failure or ghost town by large portions of the media, grew in terms of active usage by 27%, to 343 million users, to become the number two social platform.
"Interestingly for Google, YouTube (not previously tracked by us as a social platform) comes in at number three, demonstrating the immense opportunity of linking Google's services through the G+ social layer. This is also a key indication of why Google+ integrated with the Google product set is so key to the future of search and the Internet."
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