Shortly after rolling out its Windows 8 version, Skype has just announced its new app for Windows Phone 8.
The new Skype app now sports a cleaner user interface. One of the significant changes in the app is the adoption of the always-on functionality, which means that the program is always running in the background and you can receive calls and instant messages through the app even if you’re running other programs or if your phone is locked. This feature is highlighted in the promo clip, which you can check out for yourself in the video below.
The new Skype also supports Snap, which means you can move your call window to the side of the screen while you do other things, like watch videos, surf the web on your browser, and edit documents.
Incoming Skype calls will arrive in the form of the Windows Phone calling screen. The app also includes a call waiting function that lets you hold a Skype call while taking a regular call on your mobile phone.
While your screen is locked and set on the homepage, any Skype notifications will appear at the top of your screen, together with your missed call alerts and new messages. The Live Tiles on your Windows Phone 8 Start screen can also show you the number of unread Skype messages you have or missed calls. Plus, you get to see a preview of your latest message on the screen’s largest tile.
Aside from being able to select and group your favorite contacts for easy access, the new Skype also lets you interact with your Windows Messenger buddies as it can be interconnected with your Microsoft account.
Plus, if you think your current contact list is a bit too crowded, with a simple pinch of the screen you can change your scrolling list of contacts to cleaner, alphabetized menu.
Photos from Mashable and the Skype Blog