Image: Mati Flo / Unsplash
Skype is already used by many people for communication, but it’s set to become even more attractive in the near future as Microsoft moves to make extensive changes to the service.
Instead of integrating more ads—as the company has been doing with Windows—Skype will now be completely ad-free. According to an official forum post with release notes for Skype Insider, ads will be removed from all Skype channels and AI features are going to be added.
Skype without ads
The changes will start with the latest Insider version 8.125.76.201. There will no longer be any ads on all available platforms (i.e., Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android), which should make the Skype experience cleaner and more visually appealing.
Until now, Skype channels were filled with ads and MSN content. According to initial testers, the coming change has resulted in a better user experience. (The MSN feed is still there but will be reduced.)
Microsoft is also introducing new AI features in Skype. These include a new, AI-supported image generation feature that allows you to create images on the fly directly in the chat. The user interface for image generation has also been revised.
In addition, Skype’s menu navigation has been optimized to allow faster access to content. For Mac users, the overall design has also been changed to create a more uniform look.
Are these changes enough?
Although these improvements to Skype are welcome, some users want to see more extensive improvements. After all, Skype is competing against other free communication apps like Zoom, Teams, and even WhatsApp, which each have their own innovative angles.
While these Skype changes are definitely a step in the right direction, there’s still a long way to go before the app can measure up to its competitors.
The aforementioned changes are currently only available to Skype Insiders, and it’s not yet known when the ad-free Skype update will be made available to everyone else.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
Author: Laura Pippig, Staff Writer, PC-WELT
Laura is an enthusiastic gamer as well as a movie and TV fan. After studying communication science, she went straight into a job at PCMagazin and Connect Living. Since then, she has been writing about everything to do with PCs and technology topics, and has been a permanent editor at our German sister site PC-WELT since May 2024.
