Skype Reveals Redesigned iOS App With Chat Bots and Snapchat-Like 'Highlights' Feature [Updated]

[DaveTheRave]

Hey Skype, how about a real feature that will help people all over the world: real end-to-end encryption (like Signal)?

 

[vlad_djkax]

My father started using Skype the moment he got his iPad 2 3G in 2011, in order to talk to his brothers and sisters, who live in other cities.

"BUT HEY, he can use FaceTime!!!" ...
I wish it were that simple...

First, my father and technology don't get along very well...
Second, iPad 2 does not support FaceTime over 3G. And he has no "domestic" broadband access in his home.
Third, some of his relatives don't have Apple products.
Fourth, he refuses to get any sort of newer iPad, since his iPad 2 still does what he cares about.. and he prefers not to update, since he saw how newer iOS slowed down my very own iPad 2... it's still in 5.1.1..
Last, even after I gave him an iPhone SE for christmas last year, he refuses to get a decent plan for it, because iPad 2 is still there. So, he uses some sort of "pay as you go" cheap pre-paid that gives him a 30 MB allowance a day... and by that, the chance that he starts using FaceTime is .. well.. less then 0...

TL;DR
My old father still uses Skype, so I still have to use it...

But it sucks... and that new millennial version will probably make things worse..

 

[CarpalMac]

You beat me to it; glitzed up, dumbed down, built for teens to keep them glued to their mobile idiot boxes. How many decent apps have been destroyed by big enterprises who can't leave sodding well alone.

It's like it is too dull a thing, just to talk to people, let's overlay some cartoons. Yay.

Is this seriously the state of the marketplace today? No wonder we have seen people coming in for job interviews dressed in casual clothing rather than a suit at work, thinking that is in some way appropriate.

 

[Kes.Siebring]

I use it to talk with my 90+ years grandpa, who leaves on other continent...
Have no idea if he will be able to use it with the new UI.

Going to switch him to Signal.

 

[Michael Goff]

Jesus H Christ....Does every messenger and communications app nowadays need to be redesigned to appeal to the teenage crowd? How many messenger apps need the ability to squiggle pointless doodles on photos and videos? This is getting ridiculous.

And I take it you want people to know to get off your lawn?

 

[theoapo]

Same thing here. I have switched my Dad to Signal after Skype and Whatsapp started to get funky!
Signal's simple UI and encryption... it just works!

 

[Jeaz]

This looks really, really bad. What sucks is I can imagine them integrating the unSnapified Skype into office and make us start paying monthly for it.

It's called Skype for Business and already part of 365.

 

[DaveTheRave]

It's called Skype for Business and already part of 365.

Yes. It used to be called Lync.

I wonder if/when they'll phase out Communicator, which is still used in big companies.

 

[mox358]

It's called Skype for Business and already part of 365.

Good to know. I don't use Office 365 so I wasn't aware.

I still really hope MS sees a market in between tweens and corporations.

 

[pratikindia]

Worst update ever. Can't see people's online status. Can't even browse iOS Contacts without sending contacts to Microsoft to analyze. Therefore can't call phone numbers in iOS Contacts. Really really bad. Evil MS only could release such crappy software.

 

[nnoble]

Worst update ever. Can't see people's online status. Can't even browse iOS Contacts without sending contacts to Microsoft to analyze. Therefore can't call phone numbers in iOS Contacts. Really really bad. Evil MS only could release such crappy software.

Agree. Just tried to call my bank form abroad and couldn't access the keypad to input keypad replies to the menu system. Utterly frustrating and all to accomdate smiley boody faces.

 

[geta]

Other apps catching up quickly, but still Skype having the best calling sound quality, and the biggest advantage its having against their Competitors - if you charge your account with money, you can make calls to landline and mobile, not only to other users.

Its really a shame they trying appealing to kids by making it more like social media\Snapchat\Instagram instead of keeping it as it was.

 

[willmtaylor]

...so how do I see the status of others or change my status now?

 

[geta]

Looks like im forced to install the new "updated" version, what a mess.. instead of keeping all the good parts, the UI and then adding new features, they scrub it to the ground, destroy all the useful parts that worked so well, added useless features, and trying to change the concept of the app - what a shame...

Edit 1:
These are the few problems im having till new:
- Every time im opening the app, my status changing on my Mac from whatever it was before to online...
- Can't see Online, Away, Do Not Disturb, Invisible and Offline status from other contacts.
- Can't change my status anymore.
- Can't delate all the chats at once, need to go to every chat separately to do so.
- If i let Skype to excess my address book, it will send a COPY of it to Microsoft??? - not gonna happen!
- can't sweep left or right on a chat to make call or video chats, for this i need to go into the chat first.
- When im pressing on my profile picture on top, it moves me to a page that im having this "complete your setup tutorial", i hoped by doing so it will go away coz i cant delate it, but no. same goes with Highlights, cant delate the tutorial movie.
- Still i can't see all my lists im having on the Mac version.

This is what i've found out so far...

 

[ezKIX]

anyone know how to go back to the previous version? This is new (crap) UI totally unusable for me, I guess people are going to have to wait for me to get back to the office