An update is rolling out to Microsoft"s Skype apps for iOS today, bringing the version number to 6.30. It adds a few new features, such as messages being removed from the notification center when the app is opened. Here"s the full changelog:
- Spread a little extra holiday cheer! Share a personalized holiday video message with your loved ones. Tap on the snowflake button next to the Skype logo to get started.
- Notifications are now removed from the Notification Center when the Skype app is launched – decluttering is a good thing.
- Have you ever accidentally closed the app during a group call and were unable to join? Now you can easily rejoin group calls.
You can see from the image on the right what it looks like when you go to record your holiday greeting. Note that you can"t access this option from individual conversations. And to be clear, that"s virtual snow, not real snow that"s happening indoors.
It"s unclear why it took the Skype team so long to realize that "decluttering is a good thing." After all, many Skype users will tell you that notifications are the most painful part of the service. Now, if Microsoft could just tell us why our already read messages show up as new every time we open the app...
Last month, the company introduced the Skype Insider Program, which will allow you to try out new features before they are available to the general public. You can try it out on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. If that"s not your cup of tea, you can download Skype for iPhone from the App Store here, and Skype for iPad here.