Microsoft released Skype 8.77 with various improvements and new features

Although Microsoft wants you to use Teams for work and personal conversations/calls, the company continues supporting Skype. Moreover, the developers recently announced a major feature update coming soon to Skype users. Microsoft plans to deliver parts of that update gradually. Some of the promised features are now available in the latest update 8.77 for Windows, Mac, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, and iPad.

What is new in Skype 8.77?

Skype 8.77 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Web contains the following changes:

• Background Blur. You can now cover your messy room with the background blur. Note that background blur is available on computers with CPUs that support AVX2 instructions.
• Updated UI. Microsoft made "some changes" to modernize how conversations in Skype look and feel.
• Firefox Support. Skype for Web now officially supports Mozilla Firefox.
• Contacts Pinning. You can now pin specific contacts during a call to keep them around.
• Meet Now. Again, without much detail, Microsoft says it improved the Meet Now flow.
• Bug fixes. These are always welcome.

Skype for Mobile

In addition to everything mentioned above, Skype 8.77 for Android, iPhone, and iPad brings separate improvements and new features:

• Skype for Web. Android users can now access Skype on the Web from phones and tablets.
• Rendering improvements. Skype 8.77 now offers improved video rendering.
• Office Lens. The camera feature in Skype on iPhone and iPad now have access to the complete set of Office Lens capabilities.
• Bug fixes. Small improvements to make Skype work better. Locking an Android device now properly disables the camera. On iOS, developers fixed issues with the Meet Now feature.

Microsoft is now gradually rolling out Skype 8.77 to all users, which means it might take a couple of days for the update to reach your device.

You can learn more about what Microsoft has in store for Skype in our dedicated post.