Skype users in the US and UK using the iOS, Android, and OSX apps can now send video messages up to three minutes long to each other, bringing a new way to communicate over Skype’s well established service. For now, Windows and Windows Phone users are not seeing the feature, and there’s still no word of when the video voicemail feature will arrive for those platforms. With Skype having over 280 million users, and no doubt many of them Windows users, we are sure to see this service available on Windows platforms shortly.
Currently, Skype is offering customers 20 free video messages, although further details of pricing are still elusive. Skype did say, however, that unlimited voice messaging will be a feature that is included in its premium subscription service.
Video messaging works by starting up the Skype app and searching for a contact. In the iOS and Android versions, select the video call option, and if the contact does not answer, the front facing camera automatically starts up so you can record your video message. Then simply hit the red record button, and start yammering away to record your up to 3 minute video message. Users can also switch between the front-facing and rear cameras. On the Mac version, there is an option to download the video in .MP4 format, a feature that is lacking on the mobile iterations of the app.
This new feature has been a long time coming, as other apps such as Tango have had a video messaging feature for over a year now. For Skype, this feature is better late than never. With over 280 million users, there’s no doubt that this feature will take off once it is rolled out worldwide, and once it is available for the Windows and Windows Mobile platforms.
[Via: Engadget, VentureBeat