14 DAY TRIAL // It’s been less than a week since iOS 8 made it to public release and several popular applications have already received major updates to fit the requirements of the new OS.
One such app is Skype, which has just received a big update that can be downloaded via App Store. The update bumps the application to version 5.5 and optimizes it for iOS 8.
Keep in mind though that this version of Skype is only available on devices powered by iOS 7 or above. Those who still own Apple devices that run iOS 6 or lower must download the last compatible version of Skype from the App Store.
Anyway, let’s see what iPhone users get in the latest update for Skype. First of all, the optimizations include interactive notifications, which allow users to manage calls and messages from the lock screen, banner notifications and from within the notification center.
In order to take advantage of this feature, iPhone users will need to enable notifications for Skype from the Settings / Notifications menu.
Lots of under-the-hood general improvements have been included in the update as well, but no additional details on these have been provided.
Skype has yet to be optimized for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
Here are the rest of the changes included in this major update that’s supposed to optimize Skype for iPhone to work better with iOS 8:
“Audio and Video Calls From the lock screen and the notification center: - For incoming voice calls – swipe left on the notification to answer or decline. - For incoming video calls – swipe left on the notification to answer with voice or video. - For missed voice and video calls – swipe left on the notification to call back or send a message.
From a banner notification: - For incoming voice calls – pull down on the notification to answer or decline. - For incoming video calls – pull down on the notification to answer with voice or video. - For missed calls – pull down on the notification to call back or send a message.
Messages - From the lock screen and the notification center: - For new messages – swipe left on the notification to reply. - From the lock screen: - For new messages – pull down on the notification to reply.”
On a side note, Skype still hasn’t been optimized for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but let’s hope that will happen sooner rather than later.
You can now download Skype for iPhone 5.5 for free via App Store. The application should be fully compatible with all devices powered by iOS 7.0 and up.