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Skype for iOS and Android drops Windows Phone-like design

Skype for iOS and Android drops Windows Phone-like design

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New update is rolling out today

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Skype’s user interface feels like it’s constantly being updated and tweaked, and a new mobile update brings even more changes today. Skype 6.0 is rolling out for Android and iOS, and with it comes a big new redesign. The last time Microsoft attempted to change its Skype mobile interface was back in June 2014 when the company brought a taste of Windows Phone to its iOS and Android apps. Microsoft is ditching that design today.

The replacement focuses on being “more natural and intuitive,” according to Microsoft. Instead of forcing the Windows Phone-like swiping between sections, Microsoft is adopting the iOS style of navigation. That means buttons at the bottom of the app to clearly mark out sections, and Microsoft has done the same on the Android version. Clearly inspired by Material Design, Skype for Android picks up Google’s methods for mobile navigation.

Skype iOS

On the iOS version there are even swipe gestures to let you make quick calls or mute and delete conversations. They feel inspired by the many gestures iOS apps use, but especially Microsoft’s Outlook iOS app. Within chats themselves the interface is largely the same, with an attachment icon to let you add photos, location, and video messages to a conversation.

While Microsoft is updating its iOS and Android apps, the Windows Phone equivalent remains the same. It’s an app that, frankly, feels unloved by Microsoft with various bugs that have never been addressed. Thankfully, Microsoft is working on a new Skype app for Windows 10 Mobile, and the company says it will have more to share on that particular app soon.

Skype Android