Video-calling platform Skype has added a new update where it will let up to 100 users participate in a Skype chat at the same time. This way, a user will be able to send an invitation to 99 other Skype users on a call. Also, the new update will allow a user to run these calls for up to 24 hours.
A user will be able to see up to 99 users in a grid view on the screen that will show 49 people on-screen simultaneously.
Skype is upping its game against competition like Zoom and Google Duo in order to get more users on its platform. The company also added a noise cancellation feature a few weeks ago for the desktop version. In a blogpost, the Microsoft-owned platform said that the feature was initially introduced for Microsoft Teams.
Not only that, but the video chat platform also rolled out a background blur feature for its Android users with the rollout of version 8.86 of the app.
Microsoft has also updated the Windows, Linux and web version of the application with new features like a new custom reactions picker among others. Apple product users have also received updates in terms of a share extension, a dark theme for the app and performance improvements.
Skype is one of the most widely used video chat platform that’s available for both mobiles and desktops. After the launch of rival app Zoom, Skype has been under the pump trying to get more users to its platform which is why it has been constantly working on making improvements to the app so that it can stay shoulder to shoulder with its competitors.
It is estimated that Skype is used by almost 200 million people globally. Microsoft originally bought the company back in 2011 for $8.5 billion. Skype at that time was one of the go-to applications for people who wanted to speak with other users over the internet with video calls making up to 40 percent of all Skype usage a decade ago.