14 DAY TRIAL // Skype announced last month that it would bring group video calling to Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile devices, but it did not offer an exact release date for the feature.
Today, the company confirmed that it has started the rollout of group video calling on both Android and iOS platform. There's no mention of Windows 10 Mobile, but the feature should be released on Microsoft's operating system as well.
According to Skype, the feature will be released in the Western Europe and North America initially, but it's expected to hit the rest of the market by the end of March.
“At Skype we believe that video is essential to maintaining personal connections with the people who matter most. To see someone’s face, to view a reaction and to experience that closeness with people you love — these are the things that inspired and motivated us to deliver a first-rate group video calling experience on mobile and tablet,” reads a blog post.
HD quality calls and “crystal clear” audio
Skype also announced that group video calls will be available in HD quality and optimized specifically for each user's device. Naturally, the person talking will be displayed front and center and video should be immersive and full screen.
Also, audio is supposed to be “crystal clear” thanks to Skype's SILK Super Wide Band audio codec in the cloud conferencing stack.
The newest version of Skype comes with an experience optimized for mobiles and tablets, so users will be able to switch between grid view and focus view. The latter view is meant for large group calls in particular.
Last but not least, developers announced that they have extended the new way to invite anyone to a Skype call announced a few months ago for PCs to Android and iOS devices, so users will now be able to use this feature to invite anyone to a pre-existing group conversation.
