Video calls or a call stage on Skype will witness a visual revamp with the inclusion of new layouts and themes. Video feeds are now reordered in a grid format to ensure call participants aren’t on a minimized view. What this also means is that everybody in the call will have a dedicated window. If the participant’s video is turned off, their profile image will be shown instead. Skype said that users can also access larger video feeds from the top bar. A call stage will now have multiple viewing options which include grid view, speaker view, Together Mode, and a gallery view. Together Mode essentially gives users the impression that all participants are in the same space.
Skype said the mobile and desktop apps will also get a performance boost
Also on grid view, users can choose to only include participants who are currently sharing their video. People who only have their audio enabled will have the option to pick from multiple background replacement images. Skype says that more themes are on the way along with the addition of gradients for buttons. The Meet Now feature on Skype is also getting an overhaul focused on new users. Participants can now join calls even if they don’t have a Skype account or even the app. The company said that it will soon support all browsers. Custom sounds are also coming to Skype with the inclusion of a new reaction window allowing users to respond faster via search or through pinned reactions. Skype said it is making performance-related improvements to the platform. Overall performance is witnessing a 2,000% boost on the Android app while the desktop app will be significantly faster as well. Separately, the platform is introducing something known as TwinCam. This allows users to add a secondary video feed from another device to an existing call. Lastly, the company announced “Skype Universal Translator” which brings real-time translation to a landline or video call. Unfortunately, the company did not offer a precise timeline for the arrival of these new features.
