It has been 10 years since Skype first launched its video calling feature — that’s apparently about 2 trillion minutes of video calls, by the company’s own estimation. And to celebrate this milestone, Skype is bringing group video chat to its mobile app.
Group video chat has been around for a while on the Mac and PC version of Skype, but now the company announced in a blog post that the feature is rolling out in the coming weeks to Android, iOS, and Windows 10 Mobile devices. If you don’t want to wait, Skype has set up a pre-registration page for the new feature, and you only have to provide your email, Skype ID, country, and what operating system your smartphone or tablet is on.
You’ll then be greeted with a thankful message that says, “You have successfully pre-registered for group video calling on mobile. We’ll be in touch in the coming days once you’re all set up.” You’ll get an email when you’re ready to be set up for group video calling on mobile. It’s unclear if this “sneak peek” version is a beta version or if the company will just update that specific user’s app ahead of everyone else.
The company says more than 750 million people have Skype downloaded on their Android device, iPhone and iPad, and Windows Phone, and that the company has seen growth up to 10 times in the past two years. In those 2 years, the company has added a host of new features such as real-time speech, group message calling on desktop, and instant message translation. You don’t even need a Skype account to use Skype anymore, as the service allows signed-up users to invite anyone to join a chat.
You can pre-register for the new mobile feature here; otherwise expect to see a free update to your Android, iOS, or Windows 10 mobile Skype app soon.
