14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced a major Skype update that’s supposed to combine the familiar looks with new capabilities pushing the messaging platform closer to a modern world.
One of the features getting an overhaul is the call stage, with Microsoft explaining that it specifically facelifted this screen to make it feel fresh without losing the familiar factor.
“This is what we're known for and we're about to do some pretty cool magic with it, adding new layouts, beautiful theming, and other ways to help everyone connect more closely on the call. We think with this call stage you'll get to experience the best video calling in the world. Be sure to give it a try and let us know what you think!” the company says.
Users themselves are now part of the main view during a call, and everybody is displayed in the calling stage, even if they’re not sharing video, all in an attempt to make the call overall easier to keep an eye on.
Lots of new features
Larger video feeds are also available, and Microsoft says it focused specifically on the under-the-hood code to improve the overall performance as well.
“While we love the design changes, we knew they weren't enough. We needed to focus on performance to make the experience delightful. We improved performance in key scenarios by 30% on desktop, and over 2,000% on Android, and have more coming as we continue to modernize our media stack,” it explains.
Audio-only participants can also choose their own backgrounds, while the chat headers have been updated with new buttons, a changed layout, and group avatars. There are also plenty of new themes, and the typical fluent icons that Microsoft has tried to bring to every little piece of software in its portfolio, including the Windows operating system.
Skype is also getting custom notification sounds, in-call reactions, super reactions, and the Universal Translator for Skype calls.