As you may remember, some time ago Microsoft had switched to Electron for Skype. Microsoft today released Skype version 8.61 (Desktop app), along with the Skype version 15 for Windows 10 (Store app), both Electron-based.
The release is a major milestone for the Store app, as it replaces the old UWP app with a newer one in the stable branch. It is built with Electron similarly to the desktop app. The transition from UWP to Electron was not smooth, but will allow developers to easily adapt Skype for more platforms, such as Chrome OS.
The Electron-based Skype Preview doesn't include the following features:
However, there are plenty of new features users may welcome. Microsoft highlights the following.
Release Notes for Skype 8.61
- Time to make some cuts: Contact list too big to manage? Wondering who that one guy even is? Now you can easily delete multiple contacts at once. Learn more about deleting contacts in Skype.
- Introducing an Enhanced Skype for Windows 10 version 15, which adds the following new features and improvements.
- Updated close options so you can quit Skype or stop it from starting automatically
- Improved Tray icon, informing you about new messages and presence status
- Share files directly from your File Explorer
- 9 videos in a video call
- Background Replacement
- Moderated Chats
- Meet Now Improvements
- Improved Call Controls
- Bug fixes and stability improvements. Got rid of some bugs, made a few tweaks. All in a day's work.
- Background redacted: Didn't have time to tidy up before your video call? Don't worry, you can now blur your background on Skype for iPhone and iPad. Learn how to customize your background on Skype.
- Always on the go: Skype now works with Android Auto, so you can hear your Skype messages and reply hands-free.
- Bug fixes and stability improvements. We sent some bugs packing and swept up after ourselves.
- Notification fixes on Android
- Skype Meet Now - User cannot join the conversation.
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Author: Sergey Tkachenko
Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube. View all posts by Sergey Tkachenko