Microsoft was among the first that provided 'VoIP' with Skype. It was extremely popular. But unfortunately for it, gone are those days.
As the competition hardens, Microsoft has ventured forward to develop, and then market Microsoft Teams as a proprietary business communication platform that offers workspace chat and videoconferencing. The product competes directly with Slack, as well as the ubiquitous Zoom, and received huge boost in popularity following the 'COVID-19' coronavirus pandemic..
Microsoft is aiming big and dreaming big with Teams, that it even built Teams right into Windows 11, as it tries to make the collaboration software as people's go-to resource for calling friends and family as well as colleagues.
Because of that, many people may have assumed that Skype is dead.
But they are wrong.
While Microsoft barely made any whisper about Skype in about a year, it seems like Microsoft isn't ready to give up on Skype just yet.
In a blog post, the company detailed a huge update coming to the app.
"Been there, done that, right? This time let's do something a little different! Instead of just talking about features we are rolling out now, we are going to bring something more exciting to the table. We are going to tell you about our future plans, because why not?"
"Skype has been in our lives for nearly two decades, and we are here to stay."
In an attempt to "break the rules of how a communication app should communicate," Microsoft announced that Skype is getting a bunch of new layouts and theming.
The company redesigned the app to make it look more modern, to give that more inclusive feeling, but without making users alienated.
The next, is allowing users to find themselves on the main view during a call.
"We also adjusted the way the video feeds are rendered into a more natural grid, and no one will be left alone on the upper tray again because we bring you all together."
As for all participants, even when they aren't sharing video, they will be visible on the calling stage.
Other than that, still at the call stage, Skype updates with colorful background behind users' avatars of the audio-only participants.
"Now we're bringing audio-only participants fully into the game with their own backgrounds on the call stage. No more grey, dull calling experience. And what's even cooler, these are the same pictures we use for background replacement in video calls, so we keep you looking familiar whether sharing video or not. If you want to change your background, just switch it up during your call," Microsoft explained.
This should go well with other features Skype has already added, like the animated backgrounds, together mode, call recordings, live subtitles, and more.
Then, there is the Meet Now feature, which allows users to create and join Skype calls without having to log in, create an account nor have the Skype app.
"We are redesigning the Meet Now lobby as well. Now it's lighter weight, easy to use, and much better looking. We are working hard to make this experience the easiest, fastest, best, and most fun way to meet people online," Microsoft said.
Next is the 'Twin Cam' feature that lets users use their phone or another secondary device to serve as a secondary camera angle.
Another notable update, is Skype is finally supporting all modern browsers. This makes the service also a proper web app.
And then, there is the improve PSTN Translator, which allows users to have their communications translated in real-time, as they speak.
And for last, there is the speed enhancements.
"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," Microsoft said.