Skype Adds Group Video Calling to iOS and Android
Back in mid-January, Skype announced that it would be bringing group video calling to iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Mobile devices. Today, Microsoft introduced the feature to mobile users in North America and Western Europe, saying that every user in these two markets will be able to access mobile group video calling in the next two weeks. Every user worldwide will be able to use group video calling on their mobile devices by the end of February.
While Microsoft hasn’t specified an exact launch date for all users, the press release has a registration form that users can fill out to receive early access. The form asks you for your email address, Skype user name, device, and your country. After registering, you’ll receive an email after the new group video calling feature has been updated on your mobile device. Microsoft never mentioned if this means that you’ll install beta software or if the update will just be pushed to the existing app on your device.
Similar to the desktop app, as well as other video conferencing apps like Google Hangouts, the view will switch spontaneously to whoever is talking. Additionally, you can choose one person’s view to stick to if the video-switching is too distracting.
In addition to mobile group calling, Microsoft also announced that they will be increasing the maximum number of video call participants from five to 25, which could make Skype a much more welcome tool for workplace collaboration among large groups.
