The Skype team today took to their blog to announce the release of a new Preview app on iOS and Android. This new app brings several new features to Skype which can help you further express yourself. It’s now available for download on Android (without registration to the Skype Insider Program) and will be available on iOS in a limited capacity through Apple’s TestFlight and the Skype Insider program. Four new features are included in the new app release, and we’ve given them a look and included the details for you below.
In-call reactions:
With Skype Preview on iOS and Android in call reactions, you can add live emoticons, texts, and real-time photos in video calls. The feature can be accessed by first initiating a video call with your contact, pressing on the heart icon, and then choosing from the list of emoticons.
Integrated camera:
Very much like Instagram and Snapchat, Skype has caught on and come up with a way for you to quickly swipe to capture those precious moments. With Skype Preview on iOS and Android, when in a chat, you can now swipe to the right of the chat, or tap on “Capture” to send a Skype Contact personal moments. You can personalize the photo just as you can on Snapchat and Instagram, down to stickers, an undo button, text, and more.
Messaging reactions:
Once again, the Skype team has caught on to the competition, and very much like with iOS 10, Skype Preview on Android and iOS now allows you to respond to any message from your contacts with multiple reactions. To react to a message, you simply need to hold down on the smiley face icon, and then choose from the various reactions, such as excitement, sadness, shock, or thumbs up.
Find panel:
Last up is the Find Panel, which allows you to easily find and share links, news, sports results, restaurants, the weather, videos and more without leaving the app. To access this feature, you just need to swipe right, and you will be able to search Bing for all kinds of information without ever having to open a second application.
If you so happen to download this app, you should keep in mind that it is very different from the current (non-beta) Skype application. Since it is in preview, you may also experience crashes, and you should consider tapping the heart icon on the main screen while on Skype Preview so you can send your comments to the Skype team. You should also be aware that this app is not related to other Skype projects such as Skype Mingo, which is more focused on greater mobile phone integration and sending SMS messages.
