Google has blurred the boundaries between presentation software, screen-recording software, and video conferencing software, by adding new recording functionalities straight into Slides.

A new recording option in the Google Slides toolbar will allow presenters to record a small bubble of themselves talking overlaid over their slides.

The company expects the new capability to cater to a wide range of use cases, including workers and educational settings.

Presentation recording comes to Google Slides

“From webinars, to employee trainings, to lessons for your classroom, slides recordings help you effortlessly record visual and engaging presentations without ever leaving Slides," a Google Workspace update blog post announcing the news noted.

While the concept is nothing new, Google Slides’ support for it means that fewer workers will need to rely on screen-recording software to get the job done, helping to save businesses money, but pushing rival companies out of the market.

A recorded presentation will then be saved to Google Drive, where it can be shared with colleagues and clients.

Video conferencing platform Zoom recently announced a similar tool. With Zoom Clips, workers can record messages and share them with others by way of video voicemail.

The idea is that workers can spend less time on unproductive calls, and choose when they interact with content. Hybrid working looks to be here to stay, and reports are beginning to emerge detailing video conferencing fatigue. Sharing pre-recorded slides is one way of tackling this.

Google’s rollout has already started, but Scheduled Release domains may have to wait until mid-January 2024 until the changes are made.

Google Workspace Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Starter/Essentials/Essentials Plus/Standard/Plus, and Education Plus accounts will see the change, meaning that many business users and personal users will actually be excluded from the new feature.

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