Earlier this week, Skype announced improvements to Skype for Outlook, and today the team has also revealed that its Skype for Web (Beta) software is now available to all new and existing users in the US and UK.
With Skype for Web, you can visit web.skype.com in the US and UK, sign in, and instantly start chatting without having to download anything more than a simple plugin. It’s a tremendous step for Microsoft’s Skype team, which has been working hard over the past couple of years to implement a Real-Time Communications (RTC) solution on the web.
As expected, Skype for Web will allow you to seamlessly sync your conversations across all of your devices, whether it’s a mobile phone, tablet, PC, or even web-connected television or Xbox One.
Skype also says it’s improved the way you search in Skype for Web:
Instead of two separate lists for contacts and recent conversations, Skype for Web introduces a timeline view – a single, searchable list that makes it easier to start new conversations and find existing ones.
Skype for Web is compatible across all browsers — Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox — although we haven’t yet had the chance to test it on Microsoft’s new Edge browser.
Skype is just the latest calling and messaging application to join the web-based app ranks. Other messaging apps on the web include WeChat Web, Voxer for Web, and WhatsApp for Web. You’ll want to make sure you install the plug-in so you can get started with Skype for Web right away.