Skype Has (Finally) Been Optimized for Low End Phones

Microsoft is updating Skype to make it run better on older Android phones.

Following in the same vein as companies like Facebook, with its Facebook Lite and Messenger Lite, and Google with its Go apps, Microsoft’s new Skype is enhanced for better compatibility. The app will make it easier for phones running on the older Android versions to get a better experience.

Skype is different in that it isn’t a separate app altogether like Facebook and Google’s take. The kind of phones we are talking about here include those running on Android 4.0.3 till 5.0, so pretty old.

Lightweight and Faster Than Before

Said to be light on both RAM and storage, the updated app includes better performance in “challenging network conditions”, as well as “allowing for greater speed and better audio and video quality on lower end Android devices.”

The updated version of the app gets rid of the more advanced features and aims to get the basics like Call, Chat, and Contacts right.

This update builds on our mission to connect people from wherever, whenever, and from whatever device possible.

Insiders First

Users who have signed up for the Skype Insider Program will get to try the latest update straightaway, while the final version will be rolled out to users worldwide in the next few weeks.

With the focus increasingly turning towards a new generation of users with the Android Go program, the new Skype app could be Microsoft’s best bet for the future. It joins competing options from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to aim for the next billion.

Source: Skype Blog and The Inquirer