Features of Skype

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The following is a partial list of Skype's features:

Calls between Skype and landline / mobile phone numbers

Skype users can call landline and mobile phone numbers (previously known as SkypeOut) using Skype Credit or a calling subscription. Additionally, users can purchase Online Numbers (previously called SkypeIn) that lets contacts call their Skype client from a landline or mobile phone.

Outgoing calls

SkypeOut allows Skype users to call phone numbers, including landline and mobile phones, for a fee. This fee is as low as US$0.021 per minute for most developed countries, and as high as US$2.142 per minute for calls to the island Diego Garcia.

In January 2007, Skype introduced a €0.039 connection fee for each call that connected to a landline or mobile number.^[1]

After 180 days of inactivity, a user's Skype Credit balance expires; however, it can be reactivated.

SkypeOut calls to most toll-free numbers in Australia, Austria, France (+33 800, +33 805, +33 809), Germany, the Netherlands, Poland (+48 800), the UK (+44 500, +44 800, +44 808), Taiwan and the United States (+1 800, +1 888, +1 877, +1 866, +1 855, +1 844) are free for all Skype users, even if they do not have the SkypeOut service.^[2][3][4] However, for many other countries SkypeOut doesn't support calls to toll-free or premium rate numbers, and SkypeOut doesn't support calling emergency numbers such as 1-1-2 in Europe or 911 in the United States.

Support for toll-free numbers in Canada was effectively removed in January 2012.

Caller ID for outgoing calls

Skype offers a feature allowing users to set the caller ID for outgoing calls to telephone numbers. Set-up verification involves sending an SMS text message to a selected mobile phone number, then typing that verification code into a web form. Since most regular home and business telephones cannot receive text messages, this feature is only available to owners of mobile phones.

Online Number

Online Numbers (until 2010 named SkypeIn) allows Skype users to receive calls to their Skype client (on whatever device) dialed from mobiles or landlines to a Skype-provided phone number. The number need not be in the same location as the user. For example, a user in San Francisco could create a local telephone number in London. Callers in London could then make a local call to reach that user (who answers on Skype in San Francisco).

Skype offers numbers in Australia, Chile,^[5] Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Republic of Korea, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand,^[5] Poland, Romania,^[5] South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In Russia some companies, including SIP operators, provide direct numbers, redirecting calls to Skype.

Subscription calling plans

On 19 December 2006, Skype announced that there would be a new pricing structure in 2007. Details of a new scheme were released 18 January 2007. The initial press release was vague about the new scheme, but it did reveal that there may be a new connection fee.^[6]

In January 2007, Skype launched a prepaid unlimited call subscription for North American customers. Skype's unlimited calling offers unlimited calls to anyone, on any phone, within the U.S. and Canada, for a one-time (e.g. annual) fee. This plan which was called Skype Pro and only allowed for unlimited calls that were made from inside North America.

As of April 21, 2008, these plans were changed to the new calling subscription plans, which don't require the calls to start from a certain country.^[7]

Skype offers several monthly plans that it calls unlimited. However, Skype limits these subscriptions to 10,000 minutes per month, 6 hours per day, and 50 telephone numbers per day. If one of these limits is exceeded, any additional calls are billed at regular rates and connection fees if the user has Skype Credit.^[8]

Skype Premium

Skype Premium bundles together a number of Skype's features including the selection of a calling subscription, the ability to make group video calls and the ability to screen share with up to 10 other people (person-to-person video calls are free). Additionally, the bundle includes better customer support and the removal of advertising from the Skype client.^[9]

Voicemail

Skype Voicemail was released on March 10, 2005. This service allows callers to leave voicemail messages for Skype users who are indisposed. Leaving voicemail messages became a free service in 2012.

Video calling and screen sharing

Skype 2.0 and later, on Microsoft Windows (DirectX 9.0 or above required), Mac OS X, and Linux, supports video calling for Skype-to-Skype calls between two parties. Skype 3.6 and later on Windows and Skype 5.3 and later on Mac supports 720p high-definition video. Skype 5.8 and later on Windows and Skype 5.5 for Mac support 1080p high-definition video with the Logitech C920 webcam as well as the primary use of H.264 video codec instead of VP8 found in past versions. Skype 3.0.0 on iOS allows iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users to call each other, as well as Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.^[10] Skype 5 supports group video calls. Group video calling - Skype. Sharing of external monitors is also supported via third party hardware.^[11]

Skype To Go numbers

Users can set up a Skype To Go number which allows them to reach international phones numbers dialled from any landline or mobile. Skype provides a local number (the user chooses the area code) that then connects using Skype Credit to the number in another country. The service also provides the opportunity to dial any number abroad as well.^[12]

SMS text messaging

Like many other instant messaging services, Skype clients can send SMS text messages to mobile phone numbers. In the United States, China, and Taiwan, Skype uses a "generic, pre-defined number" as the sender ID. In other countries, the message can be set to appear coming from a verified mobile number, allowing recipients to reply, or else show the first 11 characters of the Skype username. However, as of March 2011, Skype users cannot receive SMS, despite a continuing series of requests and complaints.^[13]

Costs are generally lower than standard SMS charges; for example Skype's UK rate per SMS message including VAT is 6.4p, compared to standard rates of 10p or 12p^{[citation needed]}; for international SMS costs will be significantly cheaper using Skype.

Wireless hotspot network access

Skype WiFi (previously called Skype Access) allows users to pay a per-minute charge for Internet access at commercial wireless hotspots using Skype Credit.^[14] As of May 2010, Skype lists more than 100 participating networks.^[15][16] This replaced an earlier feature Skype Zones Beta which provided subscription-based access at wireless hotspots operated by Boingo and The Cloud.^[17][18]

Application features

The Skype Web Toolbar recognizes phone and Skype numbers, and is available only for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox on Windows. Such numbers on web pages are replaced with an icon that can be clicked to call the number using Skype, or right-clicked to provide further options, such as adding the number to Skype's list of contacts. The toolbar detects phone numbers automatically, but a web site developer can override the detection algorithm using a Meta element and mark the valid numbers individually.^[19]

A log file is created for each contact on a user's contact list. Log files are stored locally, meaning they are not available if a user switches computers. By default, the option to log conversations is disabled, but can be enabled in the tools / privacy panel.

On Windows, Skype can be run directly from a USB flash drive without being installed on the host computer.^[20] On Mac OS X, installation on the host computer is not required.

Discontinued features

Skype chat

Skype supports group text chat with an interface similar to IRC with up to 150 people.

The Macintosh version used to use the same message view style format as Adium, though with a different filename extension. Message view styles made for Adium could be installed for Skype, and they did not even need to be renamed.^[21] There were a couple of cosmetic bugs,^[22] but ignoring those, Adium styles worked without modification. This feature is not present in the Windows, Linux, and Pocket PC versions of Skype. This feature has been discontinued starting with Skype 2.7.0.49.

Not Available status

Since Skype 4, the "Not Available" status is supported. This status was removed in Skype 5.

Most Skype versions, including version 4, broadcast a status of "Not Available" after a configured idle time, but Skype 4 no longer allows the user to edit this setting. The only way for the user to configure this idle time setting is to edit the IdleTimeForNA setting in the config.xml file. Since this feature was removed in Skype 5, the edit setting no longer exists in the config.xml file.

Skype 5 and above display other users' "Not Available" status as "Away".

SkypeMe! status

Skype let users set their presence indicator to "SkypeMe!" in earlier versions of Skype software. It invited calls from strangers. Setting one's status to SkypeMe! attracts a number of callers who want to practice a foreign language (usually English), in addition to the expected scammers and spammers.^[23] This feature has been hidden from being selectable starting with Skype version 4 and removed completely in version 5. Setting your privacy settings to "allow anyone to contact me" essentially does the same thing minus the presence indicator itself.

Skypecasts

Skypecasting was released on May 3, 2006. Skypecasts are live, moderated conversations allowing groups of up to 100 people to converse, moderated by the "host" who is able to mute, eject or pass the virtual microphone to participants when they wish to speak. Skypecasts do not support chat windows to share text information (such as URL) with participants. The Skypecast feature is missing in Skype for Linux, but a user can join a Skypecast conversation simply by dialing the Skypecast's code with SkypeOut.^[24] The user will then have somewhat limited capabilities, such as not seeing the others in a conversation 'room'.

On August 26, 2008, Peter Parkes announced that Skypecasts will be discontinued at 12 noon BST on Monday September 1, 2008 . Parkes, a Cambridge economics graduate who works for 'we are social', a conversation agency in London, also writes to the Skype blog. On August 27 he added detail to this announcement in another blog posting .

The discontinuation announcement was revealed only on these two blog postings and not on Skype.com, the Skypecasts directory page nor other sources. Therefore the end to Skypecasts was thought by some to be an elaborate hoax. At 12 noon BST, Skypecasts were still running but after around 2 hours they ended and on Skypecasts Directory it says 'Skypecasts unavailable'.

In Skype 4.0 Beta, Skypecasts did not work even before the discontinuation announcement. There is no 'Live' tab and when you could access the listings in the directory and tried to enter a Skypecast a message came up after a dialing tone was heard saying: 'Failed' (or a similar message).

In late 2009 the company Skype for Power Gamers (S4PG) announced that in Q2 2010 it would be releasing both a client and server Skype add-on that will enable Skype end-users to host their own "Skypecast-like" auto-conference rooms.

Skype Prime

Skype Prime was a beta feature in Skype 3.1. It allowed users to call lines that charged a per minute rate usually for advice on a particular topic. The feature has since been discontinued in later versions of the Windows and Mac clients.

SkypeFind / business directory

SkypeFind was a community-generated directory of business reviews in Skype 3.1. The feature was removed Skype for Windows 4.x client. The business directory replaced SkypeFind but has also been discontinued from version 5.x of the Windows client.

Skype directory search

Earlier Skype versions allowed the user to search the Skype directory for random people to talk to. This feature was effectively discontinued since Skype 4.0. In current Skype releases you can only add contacts for which you know one of the following pieces of information: e-mail address, phone number, full name, or Skype name.

Viewing the entire conversation history

Old Skype versions allowed the user to view the entire conversation history with any contact. Current Skype releases only allow to view the history for the past three months.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Comparison of VoIP software
• Skype protocol
• Videoconferencing
• Voice over IP

References