Microsoft unveils new Skype update that borrows from Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook Messenger

In a market already oversaturated with messaging applications, Microsoft is looking to toss its Skype app into the ring.

The Redmond software giant announced a complete rehaul of the Skype mobile app, modernizing the popular video chat application, while also debuting features previously seen in apps like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger.

Gone are the sky blue and cream accents that previously defined Skype. Minimalist light and dark tones now fill every pixel of the app, as icons and in-app animations have been redesigned to match the new aesthetic.

In many ways, the new Skype looks and feels like a completely different, and that’s because it is.

However, with the addition of message reactions, stickers, snippet-long videos that can be captured and shared with a group of friends, as well as ‘Highlights’ that resemble Snapchat and Instagram ‘Stories,’ the new Skype seems like every other popular messaging application on the market.

The new Skype also brings a feature that is growing in popularity across every social media platform: bots.

Users will be able to access bots like StubHub and Expedia, as well as a collection of others, from right within Skype — a feature that’s already available in iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and even Google Allo.

The new Skype rolls out on Android worldwide today, and will roll out on iOS, later this year. Windows and Mac versions “will be released over the next few months,” according to Microsoft.

Source: Skype