Skype will soon be slightly more useful on mobile for certain users thanks to a new feature: screen sharing. This ability is arriving first in beta for Android and iOS users, making it possible to share a phone or tablet's display directly with another Skype user. Because the feature is only available in beta, mobile users will need to be a Skype Insider to access it.
The recent Group FaceTime bug on iOS has cost Apple no small amount of credibility, not to mention an inquiry from US lawmakers. Considering the potential number of affected users, this bug on the Skype version of Android that automatically answers calls might actually be more egregious than the FaceTime version. For better or worse, however, it is at least less clandestine than Apple's bug.
In addition to its desktop and mobile applications, Microsoft offers Skype on the Web, enabling users to access the service directly in their browser. In an update today, the company announced that its Skype for Web product has been updated with new features and support, including the ability to make high-definition video calls directly in Chrome and Edge.
Bokeh, the effect of blurring of objects around the subject, has become a popular feature in mobile photography. It's made possible with two cameras but even a single camera can do it with some software tricks. But while that's relatively easy to do with still shots, it's harder to pull off when your subject is less stationary. And that is why Microsoft is resorting to some Artificial Intelligence to implement background blur in Skype video chats on desktops.
Microsoft has launched live call captioning with live captions and subtitles in the latest version of Skype. The new feature was announced on the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, giving users who are deaf or hard of hearing an important accessibility feature. The captions and subtitles appear as people are talking.
Skype has arrived on Amazon's Echo smart speakers, with Alexa now able to make calls to up to 150 countries and more. The deal was announced back in September, alongside Amazon's huge pre-holiday gush of new smart speakers and other devices, but is only going live today.
In July, Microsoft unveiled Skype 8.0, a major redesign intended to replace Skype 7.0, which the company is now calling "Skype Classic." Microsoft planned to only give users a handful of weeks to make the transition before dropping support for Skype Classic, but that announcement didn't go over so well. The company backtracked in early August, promising that it would let Skype 7.0 live on for "some time" before ending support. That period of time wasn't as long as some had hoped.
Microsoft is bringing Skype to Amazon's Alexa products, the company has announced, enabling Echo product owners to make video and voice calls. As with other Alexa products, the new integration is entirely voice-based -- simply tell the personal assistant to call a specific person and it will take care of the rest.
Microsoft has released an update for Skype that adds a call recording feature, enabling users to save a copy of the call for archival and more. This new cloud-based feature has launched on "most" platforms except Windows 10, says Microsoft, which has plans to launch it on the OS some time in the next few weeks.
In January, Microsoft launched a new feature called Private Conversations that offers end-to-end encryption for helping keep data secure. That feature was only available to Insiders at the time, but Microsoft has now released an update that brings the encrypted chats to all users. The update is now live for desktop, Android, and iOS.
Last month, Microsoft unveiled Skype 8.0, a redesigned version of the product that would ultimately replace the Skype Classic version. Microsoft had announced a September 1 deadline for Skype users to update to version 8.0, after which date Classic would no longer be supported. Users have been vocal in their opposition to both the upcoming deadline and the Skype 8.0 redesign, prompting Microsoft to backtrack.
Microsoft has launched Skype 8.0, the latest desktop version set to replace Skype 7.0, also known as "Classic." The company is encouraging users to update to the newest version, warning that they have only until September 1 to make the transition. Once that date arrives, Skype Classic will stop working, forcing any remaining users to install version 8.0. The update is worth the effort, though, thanks to the numerous new features the latest version offers.