14 DAY TRIAL // While Microsoft is betting so big on Microsoft Teams these days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Skype is a thing of the past.
So yes, Microsoft still loves Skype too, and what’s more, the company keeps rolling out more and more updates for the application on a regular basis.
The most recent release of Skype Insider Preview brings the app to version 8.78, and it includes some pretty notable changes. Including Firefox support for Skype on the web, a feature that has until now been missing for a reason that nobody was able to decrypt.
In other words, Skype for Web was running on pretty much any browser out there unless it was Safari or Firefox, with Microsoft focusing on its own app and the army of Chromium-powered browsers currently available out there.
This latest release finally addresses the whole thing, getting Skype for Web fully ready for Firefox.
Other improvements
At the same time, the new Skype version comes with new Call Stage additions, as Microsoft itself explains.
“In our efforts to modernize the call stage, we have added the ability to hide call participants at the top as a way to enlarge the call stage. You can also pin call participants that you would like to see on the stage, and then view both the presenter and yourself at the top tray, while in Content view (presentation mode). Improvements have also been made to the avatars of the call participants on the top tray,” the company says.
The update also includes Bing background improvements, as well as video background fixes, so you can maintain the video call background from one call to another. There are also improvements for Skype on Android, but this time, the focus is mostly on the UI performance.