What you need to know
- Microsoft is bringing an ad-free experience to Skype.
- The new update also brings OneAuth integration to Skype for iOS and revamps the AI image creator experience on Skype Desktop.
- The update also ships with a couple of fixes, including a fix for a bug that prevented users from sending media while connected to a 5G network.
Remember Skype? Microsoft is about to make the platform awesome again by scrapping ads (what most might consider the most hated feature across the ecosystem) from its entire interface.
According to Microsoft's Skype product manager Irene Namuganyi:
"Our latest update removes all ads from Skype channels and the entire Skype platform, ensuring a smoother, decluttered, and more enjoyable user experience."
Users will now enjoy an ad-free experience while interacting with the app across all platforms. Microsoft indicated that the change was influenced by user feedback. It wants to provide them with a new experience that allows them to "focus on your chats without any ad distractions, making your Skype experience cleaner and more user-friendly."
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More changes for AI in Skype
Aside from bringing an ad-free experience to Skype, Microsoft is also rolling out notable changes to the app's dedicated AI Image Creation tool, including streamlined access directly from the chat window or the top bar and a revamped user interface.
The new update also brings OneAuth integration in Skype for iOS. It will allow users to sign in automatically to Skype if they are already signed into another Microsoft app like Teams.
Lastly, the update also ships with a few fixes for known issues, as highlighted below:
- Fixed an issue where some users could not send media when connected to a 5G network.
- Fixed the bug where users could hear the ringtone but were unable to pick up the call on iOS.
As you may know, Microsoft rolls out these updates in waves. It's possible that not all Skype Insiders can test new features and bug fixes immediately.
Microsoft has faced backlash for incorporating ads across its Windows 11 operating system with the most recent campaign featuring full-screen multipage popup ads pressuring Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 before its imminent end of support.
