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Skype now available for BlackBerry Q10, coming to Z10 with 10.1 OS update

Skype now available for BlackBerry Q10, coming to Z10 with 10.1 OS update

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Two months after it announced it would support the platform, Skype has launched its BlackBerry 10 app. Currently, the app is available as a preview build and support is limited to the BlackBerry Q10. The new app has been tuned to take advantage of the Q10's smaller screen, integrating tightly with BlackBerry's phonebook by automatically importing a user's Skype contacts. It also supports the BlackBerry Hub, displaying chat requests, file transfers, and friend requests in BlackBerry's unified communications app.

In February, Skype said its BlackBerry 10 app would not be native to the platform, choosing instead to develop a port of its Android application. In its blog post, the company warns users that app "experiences are not yet final," and already some developers have noted that the app suffers from lag. Developed for the new BlackBerry 10.1 update — which includes camera, contact and notification improvements — the app will be available for the BlackBerry Q10 at launch, but Z10 owners will have to wait until the update comes to their handset in the coming weeks.