Microsoft Skype to drop older versions of mobile and Mac OSes

If you’re using a non-Windows 10 Mobile client as well as older Android, Mac OS, and iOS devices, you’ll have to say goodbye to access to Skype. The messaging service is moving from a “peer-to-peer to a modern, mobile-friendly cloud architecture” and will make the changes starting October. Those who will have access to Skype include Android 4.03 and later, Mac OS X clients using 10.10 Yosemite or later, and iOS 8 and later. Microsoft still plans to support older Windows desktops though (even XP and Vista).

This change, according to Microsoft’s Gurdeep Pall, is so the Skype team can focus on the platforms most of their users access Skype from and it’ll help ease the introduction of the planned changes as well. The one issue Microsoft might run into, according to Digital Trends, is that only 10 percent of its mobile base uses Windows 10 Mobile compared to the 78 percent that use Windows Phone 8.1. They got the figure from AdDuplex.

Send files to an offline recipient on Skype

Microsoft Skype is getting a new useful feature that’ll help it keep up with the numerous messaging apps out there. You can now send over files to someone else without them having to be online. So, if you send a co-worker a file over the weekend, he/she can see that file once Monday comes in. It lets you access the files across multiple devices, too, so you can read the same document no matter what device you’re on. You can send up to 300MB files, which is quite sizable already. If you have the latest version of Skype, you should get this feature automatically.

Source: PCWorld

Skype to bring free group video calling to mobile devices

Microsoft is celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Skype by bringing group video calling for free to different mobile operating systems. Users on iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Mobile will all get to make free group calls soon. But those who want early dibs can get preview access from this link. There you’ll need to enter your country, email address, Skype username, and device type. Microsoft promises setup for preview participants will be done within a matter of days.

Source: Microsoft | Via: Apple Insider

Skype for Business comes to Android

Business users on Android now have access to Skype’s enterprise capabilities. Skype for Business on Android now has a new dashboard to better locate things like the contact search bar, recent chats, and upcoming meetings. The app is now up on Play Store and it replaces Lync 2013 as an automatic update.

Some of the new features include “modern authentication” system based on access tokens and options for admins to set multi-factor authentication for others. Contact management is said to be better with this app. You have a Global Address List where you can search a phone number, name, or email address and search within a specific group. You can easily join created meetings too with “Quick Join” option.

Source: Office Blog | Via: Slash Gear