Six Things Google's Free Phone Service Can't Do (and One It Does Very Well)

Google began rolling out a new feature on Wednesday to users of its browser-based Gmail service that lets them make phone calls over the Internet directly from their computer.
If they already use Gmail, an enticing Call Phones button will appear onscreen when they check their inboxes. All they need to do is click the button.

Readers did have a lot of questions about it, particularly those who have never used Skype, the best known phone-over-the-Internet service.

1. Google’s phone service does not yet work from mobile phones, unlike Skype. You can call someone else’s cellphone, but you need to make the Google call from a desktop or laptop computer. That’s too bad, because many iPhone owners using Skype say that Skype on Wi-Fi network sounds better than the iPhone’s own voice call service.

2. For now, only Americans can place calls, although they can call most of the world — free within the United States and Canada. It costs generally 2 cents per minute to call other countries.

3. You can’t dial 911 from Gmail.

4. Nor can you dial 611 for customer service.

5. Unless you sign up for Google’s free Google Voice service, you can’t specify your caller ID number. And if you don’t have a Google Voice number, you can’t take incoming calls to your computer.

6. You can’t use Voice Calls for Gmail unless you install a special browser add-on. Some workplace IT departments ban the installation of software they haven’t officially approved. In fact, even if you’re using Google’s Chrome browser, it will warn you that the add-on may contain a virus or other malware, because it does that for all downloads.

Despite those limitations, there’s one feature worth talking up. If you make a call from Gmail, you can transfer the call to another phone without disconnecting the other party. All you need do is click the * button on Gmail’s telephone keypad, which floats atop your browser window whenever you’re on the phone. That means you can start a call at your computer, then continue it on your cellphone if you need to hit the road. You could transfer a business call to the nearest conference room for an on-the-spot speakerphone meeting with co-workers. Small businesses could skip the expense of an in-house phone system, because Google handles the most important feature in a sales office for free: You can transfer a disgruntled customer directly to the cellphone of the tech support guy. I’m sure he’ll love that.