Skype for Mac Gains New Mobile-Style Redesign for Improved Chat Experience

[springsup]

The new design will look better on Yosemite. Right now there's a huge contrast between that flat UI and the window bar.

Also, isn't it long overdue for Skype to go on the Mac AppStore, so these updates can just be automatic?

I suppose in-app purchases have quite a lot to do with why it isn't there. Apple definitely seems to be loosening up a bit, so hopefully they can work something out. It's embarrassing that the MAS doesn't have the biggest blockbuster software for the platform. People who come to the Mac from iOS find it when there's no Office or Skype or whatever in the store. Some of them will google it, but I've met plenty of people who assumed there was no (for example) Office for Mac because it wasn't in the MAS.

 

[AX338]

Look forward to this.

 

[coolfactor]

The major version number bump isn't really warranted. It's still the same ol' clunky, junky Skype, with a few downgrades and poor design decisions thrown in for good measure.

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Also, isn't it long overdue for Skype to go on the Mac AppStore, so these updates can just be automatic?

Well, to Skype's credit, it does feature a built-in update checker, but unfortunately it didn't work for me when upgrading to version 7. I had to download the update from Skype's website after several failed attempts with the in-app updater.

 

[Traverse]

This is nice. Skype is a great way to communicate cross platform. If Apple would open up iMessage...

 

[VMukhtarov]

Finally good Skype for OS X with almost smooth scrolling.

 

[applepuree]

This is how Skype looks to me now in a group chat. It doesn't say who the message is from, just a tiny icon and the text is so small I cant read it (I use full screen mostly).

I have to use Skype as the rest of the group are windows users

 

[kriebe]

This is pretty sucky on my 27in imac. I run with skype maximized and until v7 it was just fine. Now at the same settings, the chat messages are focused in the inner 33% vertical space leaving 66% of my screen as wasted dead space.

I like the look of the update, but yes, same problem here. Should be super easy to add the option to use the entire window.

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This is how Skype looks to me now in a group chat. It doesn't say who the message is from, just a tiny icon and the text is so small I cant read it (I use full screen mostly).

I have to use Skype as the rest of the group are windows users

Can't help with the "who" problem. Yes, that is very annoying. But as for the text. Command+ or go to View>Make Text Bigger. At least when you do that, it also expands horizontally to use up more of the window too.

 

[Scellow]

I stopped to use Skype since i got DDoS'd by some kids

It's so easy to get the IP of a skype user ... just google "Skype Resolver"

 

[iBug2]

And it's still not 64 bit.

Edit: Oops my bad, finally 64 bit.

 

[jonnysods]

Sorry Skype, I use hangouts now. One less thing on my computer!

 

[John.B]

Oh WOW! It has Timestamps!!! Can you believe this? You can now know whether you're seeing a message someone sent you 3 years ago or 3 seconds ago! You can't imagine how much of a difference this makes to people's lives. Thank you Microsoft, for the timestamps.

You know, we have a group that actually needs accurate timestamps for Lync. Communicator had it, Skype has it now, but Lync doesn't. Weird...

 

[Erastopic]

Now Skype, Airmail and Dropbox has been updated for Yosemite..

Now all I need updated is Spotify (Performance, not UI), OneNote, Twitter, OmniFocus, ToDo and Adobe CC (At least Photoshop and Illustrator) and my daily use for my Mac is all Yosemite UI updated.

 

[MacHiavelli]

I used to know well over 100 people who used Skype.

Today, I only know 1.

Everyone seems to have moved to FaceTime and Messages.

 

[John.B]

This is nice. Skype is a great way to communicate cross platform. If Apple would open up iMessage...

Unless you're from India...

 

[Traverse]

Unless you're from India...

Interesting, there must be more at play there.

 

[wikiverse]

IMO, Skype went downhill when they released the huge UI without the compact UI options, and that was before Microsoft.

Agreed. Skype 2.8 was the greatest desktop layout for a chat client the world had ever seen.

Skype 5 was a just a casserole of nonsense.

 

[seamer]

Sorry Skype, I use hangouts now. One less thing on my computer!

Does hangouts do group chats properly yet? We looked at it a year or so ago and couldn't figure out how to do it. We use google apps for docs/sharing and skype for talking (groups). Such a pain to need two different tools for the same context.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Ugly as hell. Same as before. Not even going to upgrade. Actually, I might as well delete this bloatware, piece of junk.

 

[groovyd]

wake me when they allow the purchased skype phone numbers to also accept incoming sms instead of just sending it out and showing a bogus phone number on the receiver's caller id rather then the actual skype phone number i have. they sold me sms, somewhere in the fine print it must have mentioned only sending and not receiving but i'd call it false advertising.

 

[JosephAW]

Won't install on my G5. Better try Windows XP on Virtual PC.

 

[3282868]

Apple would do well to release iMessages for Windows. It's not a deal breaker that someone would switch to OS X for, but throwing it in with the iCloud Control Panel and iTunes for Windows would help sell more iOS devices.

 

[RolyPolyBird]

I got excited when I heard redesign, had they finally conceded that their direction was wrong and sacked all those responsible? Then I installed the update - NOPE.

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wake me when they allow the purchased skype phone numbers to also accept incoming sms instead of just sending it out and showing a bogus phone number on the receiver's caller id rather then the actual skype phone number i have. they sold me sms, somewhere in the fine print it must have mentioned only sending and not receiving but i'd call it false advertising.

Can't believe I am defending them, but I have never had problems with the caller ID showing correctly. There is a setting for this on the webpage.

 

[grad]

Its UI still looks as ugly and unusable as every version after 2.8.866. They are not going to listen. They believe having a big ugly window that spends all the real estate on screen instead of a contacts monitor and a really limited menu icon that can't even bring the interface back is what people want. I guess they are going to make it full screen or modal in version 8. Time to move on.

 

[sguser]

I hate this baby blue design. The blue background in message bubbles is distracting. The UI in v6 wasn't great. In the v7 it went from bad to worse.

 

[viizi]

while I prefer minimalistic. I think this is a slight improvement in functionality over the previous version. If only Skype could look more like Adium