Skype now supports group calls of up to 50 people

Skype is catching up with its competitors by expanding the capacity of group calls to 50 people instead of 25. The service has been testing it out this feature since last month, but now it’s rolling out to all users. Skype is also adding a notification feature for these calls. Instead of it ringing your device, you could get a notification prompt for a group call. It’s also still possible to call people individually to join said group. Or if you have a call with less than 25 members, you can call everyone, if the notifications aren’t enough to get them to jump into the conversation.

Skype for Desktop lets you blur your background for video calls

If you don’t want your messy bedroom or office to be the focal point of a video call, you might be able to address that soon. Microsoft recently released a new Skype Insider Preview build that will let you blur your background during video calls. This can be enabled during a call in two ways. One is you right click your own video, or you can find it through the new on-hover video settings. Version 8.37.76 is coming to Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Source: MSPoweruser

Skype calling comes to Alexa

Microsoft and Amazon continue to build on its partnership. This time, Microsoft is bringing Skype calling to Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. The Echo range can use Skype’s basic calling feature. And if you have the Echo Show, you’ll even get video calling support. On top of this, you can also use SkypeOut to call mobile phones and landlines. You just need to say things like “Alexa, call Stephen on Skype” to activate the call.

Source: The Verge

Skype now has Spotify integration, too

Skype will now make it easy for you to share music with whomever you’re chatting with through the app’s integration with Spotify. It’s coming first to US-based Skype Insider users with the mobile app version of 8.26 or higher and then to global Insiders later. Insiders are users who get access to early features before these roll out to the rest of the users. Spotify can be accessed through Skype Add-ins, which house all the third-party services you can use when you’re in chats. (These are accessible through the “+” icon.)

Spotify through the Add-ins panel will let you search for songs, albums, and artists, preview and share music, or just play them. OnMSFT notes that not all songs have a playable preview on Skype, so sometimes your contacts will need to click on the “Play on Spotify” button to get to listen to the song.

Source: Engadget