Google Narrows Gap on Facebook in Social Logins

The reach of Facebook and Google in the online world stretches way beyond the companies' own websites. Together, both companies account for more than 80 percent of so-called social logins, which enable users to sign in to a third-party website using an existing social media or email account.

Given its huge user base, it comes as no surprise that Facebook is the most popular choice for social logins. According to Janrain, the social network powered 43 percent of social logins in the fourth quarter of 2014. However, Facebook’s lead shrank significantly since Janrain last reported the numbers in October. The gap between Facebook and Google narrowed from twelve percentage points in Q3 to just three points in the most recent quarter. It appears as if Google’s continued push to unify its many services under one Google identity leads consumers to use their Google accounts beyond the company’s own products.

Social logins are valuable to companies such as Google and Facebook, because it enables them to collect even more information about their users’ interests and habits.