14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft this morning announced a new version of Skype for iPhone, only one week after the company introduced one of the most important makeovers of the app since its launch a few years ago.
Skype 5.1 for iPhone is based on consumer feedback, Microsoft said in a statement, reiterating the same motif that has been used for several products since the launch of Windows 8.
Redmond these days is trying to show users that their feedback is much more important than before, so many of the improvements it rolls out are said to be based on opinions submitted by its users.
Skype 5.1 for iPhone introduces “some of the features you wanted most,” the company said, including options to delete a conversation from the recent list with a long press on recents. “You can also edit messages you’ve recently sent with a long press on the message. (Just as you can long press on an individual message to delete it.),” the company added.
Starting with this new build, users are also allowed to tap the “Add favorites” link to easily edit the favorites screen and create a quick way to talk to the people they contact the most.
Last but not least, the People list has also been improved to mimic the interface available on the desktop. “We have added the ‘Skype’ filter; the ‘online’ filter now includes users set to online, away and do not disturb; and best of all your filter settings are saved,” Redmond explained. VoiceOver improvements are also part of the new release, it added.
Of course, since it's based on customer feedback, Microsoft has promised to continue improving the app using the suggestions it receives on the new version as well, so more such updates are projected to be launched soon.
“We are hard at work addressing more of your feedback and introducing more features, but wanted to get these out to you as soon as possible. Keep sharing your feedback in the Skype Community, and if you’ve not already downloaded the remastered Skype for iPhone, you can get the update from the Apple App Store – all you’ll need is iOS 7 or later,” the company explained.
Microsoft's Skype version aimed at Apple users requires iOS 7.0 or later and is only compatible with iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch. As far as iPhones are concerned, the app is specifically optimized to run flawlessly on the iPhone 5.