14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft improves Skype clients with new features on a regular basis, and thanks to a new update released today, the service becomes available to many more users, no matter the platform powering their devices.
Today, the company introduced Skype for Web, a new service that allows everyone to chat with friends, family, and other Skype contacts without installing anything. Everything works in your browser, and the familiar modern Skype interface loads up entirely without any download required.
As is the case with the downloadable Skype client, it’s enough to log in with your Microsoft account or Skype credentials and you’re good to go, benefiting from the same familiar look and features that are available in apps on Windows, Linux, Mac, and mobile platforms.
Obviously, the new service is available free of charge and everyone can access it by simply pointing their browsers to Skype.com and logging in with their accounts.
Not yet available for everyone
Microsoft says that Skype for Web is only available to a limited number of users and will be gradually released to more people in the coming weeks.
Everyone should be able to access it, no matter the browser, as Skype for Web currently supports Internet Explorer, Google Chrome on Windows, Firefox, and Safari. Additionally, the company says that “whichever browser you prefer” can be used to access the new service.
“In the future, using Skype on the web will become even easier and convenient. Imagine you wanted to meet your child’s teacher, or conduct an online interview with a potential candidate -you’ll be able to chat over Skype directly from a browser in just a click. With web RTC, there won’t be any downloads or installs – you can just get straight to your conversation,” Microsoft adds.
Still in beta for now
Needless to say, Skype for Web is still in beta development stage, so a number of bugs and issues could still be experienced every once in a while when using it.
Obviously, most of the issues that you come across are expected to be fixed very fast by Microsoft, especially because the company is aiming to establish a closer connection with users who install and run its applications and services.
Windows 10 is living proof in this regard, as the new operating system is developed together with users and based on their suggestions, so the very same approach is also expected to be borrowed for other services developed by Microsoft, including Skype for Web.
