Skype 2.8 Beta 2 for Mac
This is probably one of the shortest posts on the Mac blog, but it has a very simple message – we’ve released a second beta of Skype 2.8 for Mac, and you should download it now 
In this beta, we’ve focused on fixing bugs to get 2.8 ready for its Gold release. We’ve paid particular attention to Skype Access, which lets you pay by the minute for WiFi using your Skype Credit – it’s possibly the coolest new feature in this release (sorry, screen sharing) so give it a try and let us know what you think.
We’ve also done a bit more sprucing up of the interface, and have added an account window (Account > View Account), much like you find in Skype for Windows, so that you can buy Skype Credit, edit your Skype To Go speed dial numbers, and so on – all from within Skype.
As always, we welcome your feedback – let us know what you think of Skype Access in particular. Your comments will help us make Skype for Mac even better.
Update: The more technically minded of you might be interested in the release notes document (PDF)
@campbellmediations Yep, I read all comments posted on this blog – can you give me some more detail about what happens when you try to use Skype?
@mpeters0901 simply drag the Skype application icon to the trash
@mjholtkamp I’ve contacted you on Skype to get some more details
@shard040 thanks for that; very useful – I’ll get back to you if we come up with a suitable solution
@peterparkes I saw a message, but I got them when you were offline, plus I got a notice each time I wrote you a message saying that I could not add you Anyway, I can be contacted by my email that i’ve set in my profile. Talk to you soon!
and can 2.8 or 2.9 please allow color texts, my friend said for the pc it allows it now.
shard040
After you do the “Save Link As…” etc., go to Firefox -> Preferences -> Applications -> Skype (and select as Action -> Use Skype), quit Firefox re-launch and it should work
Same issue is going on for me, regarding the Skype notification badge for chats. I hope this gets fixed with next (beta?) release. My windows using friends think that I’m rude for not answering them on time!
I’m getting the same problem as that user (@mjholtkamp) above, where I get no badge number for unread messages in my chats… It’s incredibly annoying since it causes me to miss messages all the time (if I don’t notice it bouncing or the growl notification).
Help…
The latest mac Skype 2.8 Beta 2 (2.8.0.438) has been dramatic success and improvement in call quality AND STABILITY. Thank You Skype mega team!! It won’t be an exaggeration how Skype has changed LIVES of ppl working/living in remote locations or in foreign countries. Video, Screensharing, reliable chat AND FILETRANSFERS Wondering how far away is VIDEO CONFERENCE calling? Wish everybody a great summer and much Skype-joy.
@gd-jac
Your instructions work perfectly. But as you can understand, the average (Firefox) user will not know this.
Peter,
I don’t know where else to post this, as Skype.com does not have a forum for users to post their comments and queries (hmm, now there’s a suggestion). So I will hijack your blog post once more, please forgive me.
Skype Chatting observation:
I was chatting with a friend recently, when all of a sudden, I start receiving messages from a load of other people. Turns out these unknowns were his friends (I thought I was getting spammed). Skype said there was “2 chats” active. Did my friend inadvertently include me in a “multi-user chat”, as I would expect to find in a messaging client such as MSN / Windows Messenger? It just wasn’t immediately apparent to me that this was the case, so it did catch me by surprise.
Peter,
I did notice the Skype Credit feature recently at my local coffee shop. So yes, cool feature indeed.
@shard040 check your privacy settings (Skype > Preferences > Privacy) – you can block chats from people who aren’t on your contact list.
Multi-party chats are identified by a little disclosure arrow in the chat drawer – you can click this arrow to see the members of the chat.
Hope that helps – and glad you like Skype Access
@levifig @apollo2x @mjholtkamp the Mac team are aware of this problem – thanks for your feedback.
hi Peter, thanks for all those improvments. may I suggest that a new version includes the possibility to sign in SIMULTANEOUSLY with two (ore more)pseudos ? quite useful when you are two people in front of one single mac ! bye !
@peterparkes getting in touch didn’t seem to work, do you still need feedback?
Have some concerns about this beta. Why is it that I STILL cannot call myself back into a conference that I drop from, yet I am able to do this on a PC version of skype? Also, the chat icons look awful. Why was it changed to these dull flat icons? I hope those will be optional or dropped in the final version.
I really haven’t had any issues with the beta. My question is why it hasn’t been released as a stable version. It has been 13 months and counting since a stable release for mac. A year with no bug updates or improvements to call or video quality is way to long. I think the Mac Skype users need some love. This slow of updates to me doesn’t show u want Mac users to have best experience they can.
Also haven’t there been enough changes to justify a version jump up to 3.0?
I am not sure how to correct this problem, so any advice would be appreciated:
I can receive calls with no problem. However, when I make calls, I hear nothing but static and jarbled sound. I have downloaded the latest version of SKYPE and passed the echo sound test, but this problem still remains. Advice?
Brandon
@jovanbj1980 try our call quality guide for some suggestions – and please let me know if that doesn’t help.
* initially, attempting to use audio or screensharing call with new beta instantly crashed. After discovering that the beta worked on another Mac (that had never had Skype installed) I trashed the ~/Library/Application Support/Skype folder, and this fixed the crashing problem.
* share Full Screen (on either MacBook Pro or iMac built-in screen) sends garbage. Share Selection works (though limits the area that can be shared, because of the way that the feature has been designed). However, my MacBook Pro is connected to a secondary monitor – sharing full screen on this monitor does work.
* desperately needs the feature of showing where the mouse cursor is. Ideally as an option – but if it can only be one way, I’d prefer it was shown than not.
* is there a proper bug report/feature request system?
@cogappbenr yes, please head to our bugtracker
Please fix the CPU usage, it’s still definitely too high (60-70% video calls)
I’m using Macbook 2,2GHZ and the high CPU usage makes the fan too noisy. My chat partner always hear that noisy sound so I’ve got to activate “surpress background noise” which makes the sound quality bad und dull
Wow . .
I am afraid to upgrade! Looks like I will be switching to a Skype alternative after reading all of the posts. Good thing I only signed a 3-month contract.
Bryan
Getting the same problem with no unread red blob on dock…very annoying missing msgs all the time. Any fixes around?
I have downloaded the updated version of Skype for my iMac but my video preferences are not available for my iSight. I tried to “disable” the video from iChat. Is there another solution? Also, do I use WiFi or does the system automatically pick up my cable internet?
Thanks
Hi i’ve just downloaded the new version for Mac & although everything is working fine the video call/cam isn’t – i’m on a G5 with built in camera & can’t see any options to check the cam or turn it on?
I know my cam is working but not when i’m using skype….
Please help!
Today I successfully downloaded the latest version of Skype for Mac. I cannot launch it for when I try to put it into my Applications folder, it says that I have ‘insufficient privileges’.
Please advise how I can get round this and open Skype.
Just make Skype 4.1 available on the Mac. Moving from Windows to Mac is so frustrating that Skype uses a completely different interface that is crippled! There is basic functionality that is just not available like adding phones to a call.
Does any body how to stop the last chat window that i was on from opening every time i sign again. i compared the user settings with other users and i can not find what would be causing this !!!!!
Ragards
Denis
I find a nuisance not to be able to add people to a conference already ongoing. Not everybody makes it in time and I have to restart the whole thing to include the latecomer. Embarasing, specially when all the PC users can do it no problem.
Perhaps there is a – non obvious function in the Mac Skype that can accomplish this?
If so please be kind to write it here. Personally I will be grateful for this info
Nora
Just downloaded the latest Skype Beta for Mac. Every time I logon, popup asks me if I want to pay for wifi access with Skype credit. I dont!!!! How do I turn off the popup. Very annoying.
Hello
i was use skype for windows, my contacts have many phone number (office, mobile, particular, etc) right now i use skype for mac, but my contact just have one phone number (the first number in the list) my question is, i don´t view anymore the other phone number.
thank for your help.
holopezca
Dear Peter,
Thank you for such a comprehensive program. Everything (almost) about this version of Skype is ideal for my portable work environment. The key fix for me includes Conference Calling and more so, “Adding Callers” to Calls. Often I find myself on a telephone call with someone through Skype and want to add another partner into the call. Sometimes these partners have Skype, sometimes they do not…sometimes their numbers are in my phone book, sometimes they are not. Is there a way where I can add anyone to my current calls (be it contacts or just dialed in contacts)?
Your help is greatly appreciated!
Chad
Dear Peter,
Thank you for such a comprehensive program. Everything (almost) about this version of Skype is ideal for my portable work environment. The key fix for me includes Conference Calling and more so, “Adding Callers” to Calls. Often I find myself on a telephone call with someone through Skype and want to add another partner into the call. Sometimes these partners have Skype, sometimes they do not…sometimes their numbers are in my phone book, sometimes they are not. Is there a way where I can add anyone to my current calls (be it contacts or just dialed in contacts)?
Your help is greatly appreciated!
Chad
‘Hello
i was use skype for windows, my contacts have many phone number (office, mobile, particular, etc) right now i use skype for mac, but my contact just have one phone number (the first number in the list) my question is, i don´t view anymore the other phone number.
thank for your help.
holopezca
holopezca | Monday, Oct 26″
Has this issue been solved. Are we able to have multiple phone numbers for a skype contact when using MAC. Please advise if anyone knows. Thanks.
Chris
Please… for the love of God… allow me to turn off PIP in video chat on MacSkype!!! PLEASE!!!! I am begging you!
okay
plz plz plz plz plz plz tell me how to take someone off the convo
like u have 5 people and then you dont want someone on there
Ok, I can’t find this and it is really annoying! HOW CAN I DISABLE THE SOUND EFFECTS in skype 2.8 on a mac? And without disabling ALL sounds, like my friend does. She can’t find a way to hear me but not the silly sound effects. Come on people what is wrong with you? Every little message is followed by a bubble sound, it is driving us all crazy! I want help and I want it now.
heii ‘
my boyfreind is using skype mac and i hAVE skype for windows bt it olways say tghe webconection is slow….it has workd perfectly fine for last couple of months but yetrday his videooooo was sooooooo slow..i hv 4.o for windows ,,may be d skype verison he has is the problem should he upgrade it..why isnt the video clear and its mad slowwwwwwwwwwwwww..we bth have inbuilt cams”"”"i downloaded d latest verion bt skype wasnt suporitn the cam altho the cam is uinbuilt pleeaseeeeeeeee telll me what versions should we be usig..or any help ¨thkuuuuuuuuu
I’m still using 2.8.0.722 on my Mac while a friend has upgraded to 2.8.0.851
The newer version on her computer has pop-up bubbles for every chat message when the chat window is minimized. Neither of us are able to find where to disable this feature. The difficulty arises when we minimize a chat window, but the bubbles continue to show everything the other person is typing, even when one of our kids is with us for a moment looking at something else on the screen.
We have checked all throughout the Preferences settings, most notably the privacy and chat areas, to no avail. Ultimately we would like to disable these chat pop-up bubbles so that when a chat window is minimized, that conversation and all incoming messages will remain private until we restore that chat box again.
Thanks!
Greg
Ok, I can’t find this and it is really annoying! HOW CAN I DISABLE THE SOUND EFFECTS in skype 2.8 on a mac? And without disabling ALL sounds, like my friend does. She can’t find a way to hear me but not the silly sound effects. Come on people what is wrong with you? Every little message is followed by a bubble sound, it is driving us all crazy! I want help and I want it now.
PLEASE!!!!!!!!! I AM GOING NUTS!
Hey guys ok to disable the sound all you have to do is go to skype > Preferences > Notifications > then from there you will see events. Click on events and scroll down until you see something like received message, click on that and uncheck the box that says play sound. You can do that for when you send a message and pretty much any sound on skype. Good Luck, hope that helps