The app comes with new features and improvements

Jul 6, 2015 21:19 GMT  ·  By

As expected, Microsoft has just announced that the new Skype for Business is now available for Windows Phone users. The new application replaces Lync 2013 but also brings some new features and improvements.

According to Microsoft, Skype for Business has a new, intuitive interface, more emoticons, as well as improved servers communications.

Longtime Lync 2013 users will notice that quite a few enhancements have been included in Skype for Business. The most obvious differences are the Skype for Business brand and the UI, which is now more familiar to Skype users.

As mentioned earlier, Microsoft has also redesigned all the emoticons, so the application now offers more than 100 of them to spice up your chat experience.

But that's not all. Developers have also confirmed they have improved how the application and the server handle conversation notification, which means that, once you get notified of a new conversation on the phone, the other clients won't be able to grab the conversation and prevent you from answering the phone.

Furthermore, Microsoft claims that it has enhanced security with at-rest data encryption, so Skype for Business users will have their conversation history and voicemail encrypted by default.

Also, the most recent conversations will be synced across devices whether they took place on the PC, tablet or smartphone, as long as users are running the latest server software.

How to upgrade from Lync 2013

In order to upgrade to Skype for Business from Lync 2013, you don't have to do anything other than update the application, assuming your phone runs Windows Phone 8.1 and higher.

However, if your smartphone is powered by Windows Phone 8.0, you will be forced to continue to use Lync 2013 or Lync 2010, which will remain compatible even if your organization is running the new Skype for Business.

If you have a Windows Phone 8.1 and higher device but don't run Lync 2013 yet, you can now download Skype for Business for Windows Phone for free via Windows Phone Store.