Microsoft Redesigns Skype to Compete With Snapchat
Microsoft announced a complete overhaul of Skype on Thursday, with iMessage and Snapchat in its sights.
The new app has Skype's standard instant messaging service, international dialing, and multiperson video calling, but it adds integration with third-party services like YouTube, simpler photo sharing, and revamped group chatting with an interface similar to Skype-owned GroupMe.
The photo-sharing allows users to draw over their pictures and share them into a Snapchat Stories-like panel called Highlights. Within chats, users can integrate weather or image apps with previews similar to the latest version of iMessage on iPhones. For the new Skype, Microsoft is rolling out chat bots, including one called Scoop, that can inject breaking news headlines into conversations.
The new Skype will be gradually released, starting out in Android devices. A new version for the iPhone will be released in about a month, Skype said. Versions for the Mac, Windows PCs, and tablets will follow.