And with this recent update, the necessary has become pleasurable to use again. But this app is obviously as crucial as they come. The performance can be a bit leisurely, especially on app resume. I’ve been signing into the Skype app with my Messenger account lately, however, and so far so good. Video calling can now occur in landscape mode as well.įinally, Skype 2.4 lets you switch between accounts, which might be interesting for those of you making the transition from Messenger to Skype. (Skype says it uses high-quality VGA video on other handsets.) Skype 2.4 also features a major improvement to video calling quality, which can now occur in 720p HD on higher-end Windows Phone handsets like the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X. As important, it also adds People integration back so that you can access your Skype contacts from Windows Phone’s contacts hub so that you can trigger Skype-based voice calls, video calls, and text chats that that integrated experience.īut this release isn’t just about fixing the mistakes of the past. Skype 2.4 includes important updates to the quality and stability of the app on Windows Phone 8. If you’ve been following along, you may know that the initial Skype release appeared on Windows Phone 8 in November 2012, and that a subsequent preview release controversially and temporarily dropped People hub integration because of stability issues. Skype for Windows Phone 8 Preview version 2.4-as Skype monotonously calls this release-is a big deal.

I won’t be testing Skype or any other app on Windows Phone 7.x.) Also, yes, Skype 2.4 is also available for Windows Phone 7.5 I’m not clear why people point this out to me, but my app picks are for the new version of Windows Phone, not the old version. I’ll update this article if there are any changes between now and then, which I don’t expect.

Today’s release of Skype 2.4 is technically a preview release, with the final version expected sometime in the week’s ahead. Despite its version number, Skype 2.4 is a major update. And following hot on the heels of new Skype releases for Windows 8/RT and the Windows desktop, Microsoft has finally shipped the Skype app we’ve been waiting for on Windows Phone 8 as well. With Microsoft consolidating its communications solutions around Skype for consumers and Lync for businesses, we’re now in a time of rapid change. Microsoft finally gets it right with Skype for Windows Phone 8

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