Google launches Gmail phone calling system to rival Skype

Gmail's ‘Call phones’ function falls under Google's Voice service launched in the US last year.

The new feature allows users to call both landlines and mobiles depending on the country they are in. Most APAC countries currently supports the computer to mobile phone dialing service.

Users can click on the ‘Call phones’ button as soon as it starts showing up at the top of their contact list. A telephone dial window will pop-up where users can enter a phone number or search for an existing contact.

Gmail also lets users register for a Google Voice phone number to receive in-coming calls inside Gmail, and display the number as

The ‘Call phones’ service has been launched in the US where over 1,000,000 calls were placed from Gmail in the first 24 hours after the service was made available. It is due to roll out into other markets soon, according to Google's Blog.

The new feature puts Google in direct competition with Skype.