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Skype for Web (& Chromebooks) adds calling to mobile phones & landlines, guest mode & more

After launching Skype for Web worldwide back in June and also bringing it to Chromebook users, today the previously chat-only web app is adding support for making phone calls and other new features.

We’ve updated Skype for Web so you can now save money on your phone calls to mobile phones and landlines. All you need is a little Skype credit or a subscription to start making affordable international calls from Skype. Once you’ve signed in to Skype for Web, simply click on the call phones tab, select your destination, dial the number you’d like to call and then hit the call button.

That’s certainly a nice addition for Chromebook users who, unlike the other desktop platforms, never really had a great option for making Skype phone calls.

In addition to the support for voice calling to mobile and landlines, Skype for Web today adds support for in-line YouTube videos, meaning you won’t be pulled out of chats to watch a video when clicking YouTube links, as well as support for notifications:

…if someone posts a YouTube video link in Skype for Web, you’ll be able to watch it directly in Skype. You get all the same volume and full-screen controls you have in YouTube, but you won’t have to open a new browser window to watch the video—it’ll instantly play directly in Skype… as long as you’re signed into Skype for Web, you’ll receive notifications, even if you’re in another browser tab or another app.

And lastly, the Skype for Web experience is adding the ability to add people to chats that don’t have Skype accounts (a feature already available for Windows users) through a new ‘Share conversation’ feature. Users on the other end will get a URL and will be able to join chats in guest mode without an account using Skype for Web. 

You can check out the new Skype for Web features rolling out today at web.skype.com.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s weekly Logic Pros series and makes music as one half of Toronto-based Makamachine.


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