After a year in which Skype had a multi-year lead with companies like Zoom and Google Meet, Microsoft is finally giving the video chat platform a much-needed redesign.
Microsoft has unveiled plans for an “improved, faster, more reliable and super modern-looking Skype,” selected thanks to feedback from users of the OG video conferencing platform.
Skype intends to improve the ‘call stage’, which it considers the most essential part of the platform. The app will soon feature new themes and layouts and changes to the way Skype displays a grid of video streams. Also, the grid that appears during calls will include everyone on the call, whether they have enabled their video or not. This places all participants side by side on the main interface, including your own video.
In the future, the app will also offer a custom background for those who join without video, and the custom background will be the same virtual background that the user would have previously selected, allowing for consistency and familiarization.
Skype will also improve chat headers, add fluid icons, and offer additional color possibilities to customizable themes along with customizable notification sounds.
In addition to the visual changes, Microsoft is also focusing on increasing performance in critical scenarios by 30 percent on desktops and more than 2,000 percent on Android devices, along with compatibility with all browsers. “We would like to make sure that no matter what device, platform or browser you are using, Skype will always give you a great experience,” reads the Skype blog.
Lastly, Microsoft is working on a new Skype feature called TwinCam, which would allow users to add a smartphone to a video call for a different camera angle.
Microsoft did not share a precise time frame for new features or enhancements to the Skype app. However, the blog post indicates that the changes will be implemented later this year.
Image Credit: Skype
Source: Skype