With Skype, you can already share your screen with others using the desktop version of the software, and as of June 5, you can do the same using Android and iOS devices.
To use the new feature, tap on the ” … ” button at the bottom right of the display during a call, and then on the Share Screen button that appears. Once it’s running, you can hop out of the Skype chat display and start sharing other screens on your phone.
“Whether you have a last-minute meeting on the go, or your dad doesn’t know how to use his phone — screen sharing on Android and iOS lets you get it done from anywhere,” Skype said in a post announcing the rollout.
Screen sharing for mobile is available with the latest version of Skype on Android and iOS devices running iOS 12 and up.
The company also took the opportunity to highlight its new call interface for mobile, aimed at streamlining and simplifying video chats. It means that tapping on the display now removes all of the call controls for a cleaner look, while tapping again brings them back. Finally, the ” … ” menu now offers access not only to screen sharing, but also to call recording, and subtitles.
Skype changes
Launched in 2003, Skype is one of the longest-running video chat services and has around 300 million monthly active users globally.
After Microsoft acquired the business for $8.5 billion in 2011, the team has been steadily adding new features in a bid to compete with the likes of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and other messaging and social media apps that feature chat services.
It hasn’t always gone smoothly, however, with a Snapchat-like redesign of the Skype mobile app in 2017 prompting a slew of complaints from users that eventually persuaded the company to do away with some of the more unpopular features in favor of a simpler interface.
In the last few months, it has turned its attention to adding more practical functionality, recently expanding the group-call limit from 25 to 50 participants on Skype’s desktop version.
Built-in call recording has also been incorporated into Skype, as well as live captions and subtitles, HD video calls, and an updated notifications panel.
Another new feature launched recently includes the option to blur the background for distraction-free video chats, something politics professor Robert Kelly could have done with when his kids waltzed into his office during a live BBC interview a couple of years back.
