Skype has teamed up with TripAdvisor so you can now send travel plans and tips right inside the Skype app. It’s also got a new integration with StubHub, a platform for sporting and concert tickets, that lets you browse and share events. Both add-ins are great for those who still use Skype to make video calls and chat with friends and family. Now you can just send and receive travel plans and tickets without downloading any extra apps beyond Skype.
To activate the add-ins, you have to press the plus sign button and select them from a list of options. Once using the TripAdvisor add-in, you can pick out hotels, restaurants, and other destinations to share in a chat. If you’re using the StubHub add-in, you can search for sports and music events, dates, or locations from within Skype, and share all of that information. The information you share will automatically populate with photos and prices.
As someone who has used Skype to maintain long-distance relationships, these features look relevant, though I noticed a tiny lag every time I pressed on content inside the add-ins and a longer lag when I initially open the add-in. But the lag is mostly bearable because it’s still more convenient to search for things inside the app. StubHub also works better if you allow it to know your location, as initially it thought I was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, even though I’m in New York. (It also kept recommending me to go see Billy Joel in concert.)
The Skype app itself underwent a radical redesign last summer that many users protested. One reviewer called it “the most thrown-together looking thing.”
The new add-ins are rolling out on Mac and Windows 10, as well as in the latest versions of iOS and Android apps.