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Google Plus new features: phone calls and experts

A coder has unearthed source code revealing new features for Google Plus, including expert advice and the ability to make phone calls.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

How is Google Plus going to compete with Facebook's new Spotify integration? You may well ask. Well now it's gone public, Google Plus is about to start rolling out the big guns. And someone has unearthed source code revealing some cool new features.

Matt Mastracci is the man in question, as reported on ZDNet. So what has he found? Well, phone calls, expert advice, increased privacy controls, and a Facebook-esque wall to write on. The social networking war is on.

Google Voice integration is revealed in the code. Exactly how it'll work is unclear, but expect to be able to phone people using Google Plus, much as you can with Gmail. In the code it says: "Allow people to phone me from my profile," and "Your actual phone number will be hidden from the caller." So it seems pretty certain.

Phoning someone? How very 20th century.

Google Experts seems like a service to involve those in the know in posts and comment threads. The code hints you'll be able to get answers in five minutes -- exactly how it'll work, as well as how the Experts will be selected, is all up in the air, but it definitely sounds interesting.

Not much is known about the Google Plus Wall either, but expect it to be similar to Facebook's. The phrase "wrote on your profile" appearing in the code would certainly suggest so.

Finally, there are four privacy levels: public on the web, easy to find, friends and family, and lockdown. Undoubtedly Google has learnt from Facebook's many public privacy fails.

Google Plus opened to the public last week, but just before it did Facebook unveiled some new options that mimicked its flagship features. Crafty.

What else would you like to see in Google Plus? Let us know on our Facebook page.