A new update for Skype has arrived, and with it comes the promise that we’ll finally be getting the option to record calls. Skype has gone more than a decade without this obvious feature, and you might as well update now because all other versions of the service will stop working on September 1, according to Microsoft.
In a blog post yesterday, Microsoft, which owns Skype, announced the release of version 8.0 for desktops. While the updated app already comes with some new improvements, the company said it plans to roll out the ability to record calls sometime “later this summer” (so winter in Australia).
Here’s how Microsoft describes the feature:
Take call snapshots to the next level with call recording. Capture a special Skype calls with loved ones or record important meetings with colleagues. Call recording is completely cloud-based, and as soon as you start recording, everyone in the call is notified that the call is being recorded—so there are no surprises. Call recordings combine everyone’s video as well as any screens shared during the call.
As The Next Web points out, the ability to record calls on Skype is such a commonly-requested feature that the company’s FAQ page even has a list of suggested third-party apps that can get the job done. (Lifehacker recommends Ecamm Call Recorder.) But soon, you’ll be able to do it all with the basic app.
Anyone with privacy concerns should feel some comfort in the fact that all parties on a call will be notified if recording begins and, as we previously reported, private conversations will soon use end-to-end encryption powered by the Signal Protocol, which is largely viewed as the industry standard for encrypted messaging.
Other features that should’ve already been there but will be added soon include read receipts, profile invites and group links. In an email to Gizmodo, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to roll all these features out sometime this summer (again, Australia’s winter) but had no further details to provide.
New additions to Skype that are live now include the ability to “@ mention” other parties, a gallery for media shared during conversations, and drag-and-drop sharing of files up to 300 MB.
[Microsoft via The Next Web]