After years of uncertainty around Microsoft's plans for Skype, Microsoft has recently announced that it will be retiring its Skype 7.0 version (often referred to as Skype Classic) which means that users will need to upgrade to its latest version (Skype 8.0) before September 1st.
Don't worry it's not all doom and gloom, as Microsoft has also announced some new and improved features that it will be rolling out now and in the coming months. Let's have a look at a few of these in a bit more detail:
Increased video chat capability
From now on, those users using the updated version of Skype 8.0 will now see that the app can now support HD video calls as well as having the capability to add up to 24 users at a time as well as being able to share files of up to 300mb using the drag and drop feature. In addition to this, Microsoft has also added the ability to include @mentions as well as a chat media gallery which will speed up the time it takes to find older conversations.
Ground breaking new additions
Over the course of the Summer, Microsoft is going to put integrated call recording into Skype which previously required the use of a third-party app and a depreciated API. Furthermore, Microsoft will be adding read receipts to highlight when someone has a read a message as well as providing an end to end encryption of text and audio chat using the Signal protocol.
Greater integration with third party streaming apps
Also, during the Summer, Microsoft will also be working to make it easier for Skype audio and video calls to be integrated into third party streams such as those currently used on Mixer and Twitch. The use of the NDI API will help to ensure that most streaming applications such as Xsplit and OBS will be able to use a Skype call as an audio/voice source. On top of that, it will also allow these apps to use the files to overlay onto other content, just as it can already be done with a webcam input.
If your business is having trouble setting up and configuring your Office 365 subscription or in particular is having problems upgrading Skype or having any other IT support related issues, then get in touch with our teams of IT experts who will be on hand to help you with your specific requirements.
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