Microsoft Removes Ads from Skype, Signaling Shift in User Experience

Microsoft is removing ads from Skype

Microsoft is making Skype ad-free in an update that will rollout to users across all platforms soon. The update also includes improved AI image creation tools on Skype for Windows and macOS, and the ability to sign in automatically on iOS if you're already signed into another Microsoft app. "Our latest update removes all ads from Skype channels and the entire Skype platform, ensuring a smoother, decluttered and more enjoyable user experience," says Skype product manager Irene Namuganyi. The removal of ads in Skype means you'll no longer see ads in the main chat interface, or in the channels section. Microsoft says it has listened to feedback around ads in Skype, and decided to "focus on your chats without any ad distractions, making your Skype experience cleaner and more user-friendly." The today section of Skype will remain though, complete with the news feed that's powered by MSN. It's a tab that I'm sure most Skype users ignore, but you can still disable this in Settings > Appearance if you want to get rid of it fully. Here's hoping Microsoft also listens to feedback about ads in Windows. The software giant has been adding malware-like Bing prompts, ads in the Start menu, and using plenty of tricks to try and get Windows users to switch to Edge. Alongside the ad removal in Skype, Microsoft is also improving the AI image creation features inside the app on Windows and macOS. You'll soon be able to quickly access the AI image creator inside chat windows, and AI-generated images will expand on click. Microsoft has also fixed up some UI elements, while also making the image creator feel more at home with Apple's macOS design. Microsoft is also bringing OneAuth integration to Skype for iOS, which allows you to sign into the app automatically if you're already using another Microsoft app. If you've been having issues sending photos or videos over 5G with Skype, Microsoft has also fixed this bug in the upcoming update that will be available in the coming days.

Microsoft Bids Farewell to Ads on Skype

If you're still using Skype, there's some good news. With an update that's rolling out now, Microsoft is making its video-conferencing platform ad-free. "Our latest update removes all ads from Skype channels and the entire Skype platform, ensuring a smoother, decluttered, and more enjoyable user experience," Skype product manager Irene Namuganyi said in a blog post. According to Microsoft, removing ads will enable users to focus on chats without distractions and allow uninterrupted browsing across channels. The update (Skype 8.125.76.201) also revamps the AI Image Creation tool for Skype Desktop and adds OneAuth integration for the iOS app. The AI Image Creation tool is now accessible within the chat window or from the top bar. The tool's interface has also been improved to provide one-click access to view generated images and a new Back button for the ideas page. The OneAuth integration, previously available for Android, is now on iOS. It allows users to sign in to Skype automatically if they are already signed into other Microsoft apps on the same device. Additionally, Microsoft says it fixed bugs pertaining to media sharing issues on 5G networks, incoming call acceptance on iOS, and notification delivery for some mobile users.

Microsoft strips ads from Skype in a move toward "user-centric design"

Update also improves AI image features, adds OneAuth support on iOS. If you've used Microsoft's Skype in recent years, you've probably noticed that the user experience is less than ideal because of the pervasiveness of ads in the software. Fortunately, that's going to change in a new update coming to all platforms in the near future. In the latest release notes for Skype Insider build 8.125, product manager Irene Namuganyi writes, "We're excited to announce that Skype is now ad-free! Our latest update removes all ads from Skype channels and the entire Skype platform, ensuring a smoother, decluttered, and more enjoyable user experience." Whereas there were previously ads in the "today" section of the application, it will now be ad-free, showing just the relevant newsfeed content. There won't be any ads in conversation views, either. Further ReadingOther major features in the Skype update include improved AI image creation -- you can now more directly access the feature from the chat window or top bar, the UI has been improved, and other improvements -- and the introduction of OneAuth integration on the iOS app. (OneAuth was already supported on Skype for Android.) Skype isn't the behemoth of online communication it was long ago, though it's still popular for international calls in many cases, and it still has quite a few users. But this update is interesting in the larger context of Microsoft's software strategy. Ads have been popping up all over Windows and other Microsoft experiences, like the Start menu. Anyone who's using Windows or Microsoft's web services right now is too familiar with the company's aggressive efforts to get users to start using the Edge web browser or to try the Copilot AI tool. Does this Skype update herald a scaling back of that approach to the company's software business in response to criticism about a less-than-ideal user experience? We have no way of knowing, but this is nice to see if you're still a frequent Skype user.

Skype is Getting Rid of All Ads

We've come to accept ads as a necessary component of some apps, since they're there to make money on a service that is otherwise free. That doesn't mean they're not often annoying or obnoxious. Skype, for its part, is actually taking the unique step to remove all ads. Skype has rolled out a significant update packed with a bunch of user-centric enhancements. The most notable change to be seen here is the removal of all ads across the platform, including all Skype channels. By removing ads completely, Microsoft will certainly make less money on Skype. At the same time, however, Skype already has a credit system for calls and texts, and the company probably already makes most of its money from it. It'll make a bit less money, but given how Skype's popularity keeps dwindling, it's probably negligible. Microsoft already has ads in Windows, Edge, and other core applications that are definitely more profitable (and more annoying for users). The AI image creation tool within Skype Desktop has also been revamped. You can now enjoy a streamlined interface, improved image expansion, better navigation, and optimized menu options for a seamless creative experience. Additionally, Skype has introduced OneAuth integration for iPhone and iPad, following its successful implementation on Android. This feature simplifies the sign-in process by automatically logging users into Skype if they are already signed into other Microsoft apps. The update also addresses several bugs, including issues with media sending on 5G networks, call pickups on iOS, and notifications on mobile devices. These improvements are being rolled out gradually, so users can expect to see them in their Skype app soon. If you want to check out these changes, make sure to keep an eye for the update. It's currently available for Insiders, but should roll out to everyone sooner than later. Source: Microsoft via Windows Latest

Skype goes ad-free, which is unusual for Microsoft

Feedback prioritized, unless it's about a feature customers really miss Microsoft has announced an ad-free update for Skype, now headed to testers in the company's Insider program. However, this update is unlikely to appease users who are still missing features previously dropped from the once-premier chat app. In the announcement for Skype 8.125.76.201, Microsoft enthused: "We're excited to announce that Skype is now ad-free! "Our latest update removes all ads from Skype channels and the entire Skype platform, ensuring a smoother, decluttered and more enjoyable user experience." It's a curious move, especially since Microsoft continues to integrate ads into many other aspects of the Windows experience. First spotted by Windows Latest, the update eschews adding features that users appear to actually want, such as a return of the "Split View" option, in favor of yet more AI-powered functionality in the form of a "revamped AI image creation experience." Hop into the AI image creator from the chat window or the top bar, type in what you want to see, fiddle with the settings, and hey presto - an image that most chat participants will be able to guess you generated using AI. While shoveling as much AI as possible into a product appears to be Microsoft's current strategy, the Skype team's insistence that it has "prioritized your feedback to create a more streamlined and pleasant environment across all platforms" will ring a little hollow with users. As one user, trying to stick with the version before the latest removal of the Split View functionality, wrote: "I'm on version 8.96.0.409 with split view and I got a notification today in Skype: 'Immediate Action Required! To enhance your security and Skype experience, we will be retiring this Skype version, and you will be required to update it by September 15, 2024.' "It's more than a year without the feature in newer versions and that's the most voted topic on Skype Feedback Hub. Will Split View come back before September 15, 2024?" For users for whom Skype is now a distant memory, Split View was a useful function that permitted a user's contact list to be in one window, and each conversation in separate windows. The feature was axed when Microsoft "modernized" the Skype app, but it was reinstated in 2019. By 2023, the feature was removed again amid reports of performance issues and crashes. Microsoft has yet to respond to the request. All we can say is that there is no AI in Split View. ®

Skype Insider gets ad-free interface with Microsoft's latest update

The update also brings improvements to Skype's AI image creation tools and the integration of OneAuth for seamless sign-ins on iOS. Skype has a lot of great features, like access to Copilot, one-click meetings, and seamless cross-platform calling and messaging. Now, to make things better, Microsoft has done away with ads on the platform with its latest update that's available to Skype Insider users. At a time when pretty much every other company seems to be focused on squeezing in as many ads as possible into their interfaces, Microsoft's move is a welcome change.