An update on Skype for iPhone and calling over 3G
We’ve updated our iPhone app – you can now make video calls.
Update: We’ve released a new version of the app which lets you make and receive calls over 3G.
Many of you have been asking when we’ll release a version of Skype for iPhone which supports 3G calling. Well, the simple answer is soon.
Last Thursday, Apple introduced the iPad, which we’re very excited about here at Skype. David Ponsford, who features in the video above, and his team are reviewing the device and its specs, and you can expect to hear more from us about Skype for iPad in due course.
What does this have to do with calling over 3G? The SDK (Software Development Kit) which Apple provides to developers like Skype has been upgraded for the iPad. The new version, 3.2, removes the restrictions on calling over 3G, which is great news.
You may have seen other apps offering calls over 3G, but we’re holding ours back for a little bit longer. Why? So that we can give you the very best audio quality we can. When our 3G-capable Skype for iPhone app is released, it’ll let you make calls in wideband audio, giving you greater clarity and fidelity – because that’s what you expect from Skype.
To be among the first to know when the 3G-capable app is available, follow @skypemobile on Twitter or subscribe to this blog either by RSS or email using the links to the right.
Thanks for this update, though I thought the app according to your own posting was ready for quite sometime now ? If you are working on an improved version then why not release the current version and then the upgrade when ready ?
Interesting. This news triggers several new observations:
1. iPad is not powerful enough for video and perhaps never will be.
2. Apple may or may not come out with a new version of iChat.
3. No word on whether Skype might be able to run as a background process in the near future.
4. No word on whether push notification is ready.
5. No word on whether the many bugs in the iPhone version, related to its lack of power, will disappear on iPad.
@ garnet_stone:
1. iPad CPU is more than powerful enough for video. It’s a Cortex A9 based unit and the A8 in the iPhone 3G is more than adequate as it is.
5. iPhone bugs have little to do with the devices power. The biggest bugs are the call dropping over perfectly good Wifi (software issue) and the annoying “you got a text message so therefore your call is dropped” problems (software issues). Again, the Cortex A8 is beyond adequate for making Skype calls.
mmm wideband codecs over 3g … have we not heard this before … just checking my log of previous claims … Skype Voice over Wifi on Blackberry … that famous one … Skype Voice over Wifi for android … MMm will this be another to add to the collection?
All i care is about push notifications, really. Your iPhone app is crippled without it. That should be your focus!
push notifications. please.
You guys have clearly stated in the past you had a 3g enabled version ready to go and blamed Apple and AT&T, now that the restrictions are gone you say you are not ready. If you had a version ready why not release it now and update it soon after? Do you guys have a lack of software developers or do you just put most of your focus on the windows platform. You guys neglect the Mac platform. You had a beta version for over a year before you released it as rc version and took over a year to update the normal Mac version. the last update now stands at 5 months.
Please focus on push notifications for the iPhone! Why is Skype so far behind the curve on app updates, when inferior competitors (such as Fring) are able to release app updates quickly to respond to the marketplace? Skype for iPhone is a joke unless users can RECEIVE incoming chat messages and phone calls! Please help your customer base. Otherwise, a switch from Skype to another service that better supports its members is just an eventuality.
This is good news. Skype has been silent about this since Thursday, so it’s nice to hear things are progressing.
As an aside, I’m curious how push notifications works for apps like Skype. If an incoming call triggers a push notification, that’s a single SMS-style buzz with the accompanying message, but that’s it, right? Based on how I understand push notifications, they can’t ring and ring until you pick up.
Jailbreak + Skype + 3GUnrestrictor App = Skype calls over 3G right now. No need to wait. I’ve been calling my girlfriend in Scotland like this for a couple months and works great!
Hmm. When I turn on my iSkype it takes more than an hour to discover my contacts and update my chats. Many of the chats NEVER arrive and many others arrive in the wrong order, especially if I get impatient and want to send an IM before it finishes updating. Everybody I know experiences the same problem and most of them have discontinued use of iSkype because of it. If that’s not a bug, then what is it? It doesn’t really matter whether it works OK after an hour. It has to boot up and work right away for it to be considered good enough for prime time. I’m hoping that the increased speed and overall power of the iPad will overcome the problem.
As for video on the iPad processor (A4), it runs at 1Ghz and that is NOT going to be fast enough for any kind of video that I know of.
“iPhone SDK 3.2 beta is pre-release software and is considered Apple Confidential Information.”
Back to the first comment.
Here’s the quote
“We’ve had a 3G-capable version ready for some time now, but Apple’s current restrictions mean that they won’t allow us to make it available on the App Store for the moment.”
Here’s the link
http://blogs.skype.com/sites/en/2009/12/2009_in_mobile.html
So it has been ready, apple has removed restrictions and we don’t have it?
I think somebody is lying here.. santa aint gonna be happy!
Anyway, hope to see it soon its been a while since the restriction got lifted off so really shows that the devs are being slack cos well.. skype’s been in this business for a while and they should know how to improve quality, there are many other phones that have skype over 3g, so they have experience over 3G there as well.
A response from the Skype team is much needed; but doubt they’ll give us one.
@garnet_stone Clock speed is not the sole indicated of the power of a processor. Two CPUs with the same clock speed are not equal. The iPad will be more than capable of handling video.
I too am disappointed that this post seems contrary to previous company statements (http://blogs.skype.com/sites/en/2009/12/2009_in_mobile.html). I switched to using Fring for my iphone skype calls.
How about Video calling with iphone? I know fring supports one way video calling…
@belcherjh Perhaps you are correct that the iPad will “handle video” in the sense that it can play movies, but I was referring to video communication, as with Skype. I don’t know how you could know anything specific about the iPad’s A4 processor in that regard since little is known about it. As for the general issue, I don’t know of any successful implementation of video communication on a machine with a processor as slow as 1Ghz. In fact, anything much less than a 2Ghz dual core processor on a ‘regular’ computer means that it will run hot.
Yeah, you don’t know. Fring is supporting skyle video calls on phones with hardware inferior to the 3gs or even the 3g.
I do completely agree with “antonioj07″, Skype on iPhone with PUSH notification should be the main function to focus on.. we don’t care about using skype over 3G if you can’t be notified for incoming calls!
Wake Up Guys!
Congratulations to iPhone users.
By the way, what happens with Skype for BlackBerry? It was coming in May 2009, and we are still waiting.
I am a skype user, but also a retired 911 communication officer and I must caution that skype is not a VOIP Napproved yet which means you can not make a emergency 911 call on skype. This caution should be highlited>
push notifications and emoticons, please.
Dear Skype … please don’t make any more postings without including a notification at the top and the bottom about why you don’t have push yet, what the current status is, and when to expect it? It’s embarrassing!
More lip service from Skype. Here’s an idea, why don’t you hire the Fring developers to help, since they apparently know how to integrate Skype with 3G better than the company who is actually behind the service.
Tired of the excuses.
Still no Push? Don’t really care about 3G so much without Push. This didn’t warrant at least a mention? Worst development and marketing example I can think of in recent years. I’m not really inclined to stick it out and wait for these guys to get a clue. There are far worse applications doing a much better job than Skype.
I have SKYPE on my PC only and all my contacts are invisable and I can not contact anyone. Please help with this problem.
yeah, can’t wait. MEANWHILE…I keep getting “connection lost” messages when ever I attempt to use skypeout. ALSO…someone requested a currency change (not me) and an autocharge that had the last 4 digits of someone’s mastercard…again, not me.
Trying to contact a support function is nearly impossible, which is why I resorted to highjacking this thread, a little bit.
Heartbeat shows ok, twitter says problems enountered, but have been resolved. NOT!
Skype announced:
As soon as Apple removes its current restrictions on calling over 3G, we’ll make a 3G-capable app available. We’ve got one up our sleeves ready for that moment, but for now, we’re being forced to wait.
Now we find you have not got any app for 3g.You really do need to wake or you will left so far behind with outher VoIP providers.
3rd party providers offer push for Skype and they work. So at least there are work arounds till you finalise your push.
Skype on Fringe sucks large! That’s probably why they can release a new version so fast that supports 3G. I’m very excited to get the new Skype, but want it to be ready. Push notifications are very high on my list too! Buy your developers pizza and get them to work late
I would like to submit a bug report. I just upgraded my iPhone to 3.1.3. Skype no longer works with my Bluetooth devices. Is the team already aware of this bug, and will a fix be coming out soon?
i´m verry disappointed about Skype, i was thinking they are a much more serious company, new they show there really face or do not have the right person on the right place, new more than 2 weeks later and still no iphone app for the 3G….
1. @Skype: as many have already pointed out, don’t change your story about calls over 3G, it’s really bad PR. You may very well have technical reasons behind delaying the app, but there’s absolutely no reason to a) lie earlier about it and say it’s AT&T and Apple holding you back, and b) not possibly have figured this out by now since it’s been almost a year of iPhone dev for you!
2. @Skype again: two words – Push Notifications. It really isn’t that complicated. Again, it’s been a while Apple has allowed this – figure it out already!
3. @iPad comments: clearly not a processor issue. For now, there’s no iSight camera to capture the local user’s video, so 2-way video calls will not yet be possible. Besides, most current incarnations of 3G (HSDPA) might not be able to handle the upload speeds required to handle video. We’ll need HSUPA, or even better, HSPA+ to properly have 2-way video over 3G.
4. @Fring comments: Skype calls works very well over 3G, thank you very much. I even had an hour-long call from Silicon Valley to Paris WITH VIDEO over 3G on my iPhone 3GS; obviously it was only one-way video (from remote to local) since the iPhone still doesn’t have a front-facing camera, but it worked great and without a single hiccup.
The only issue we’ll have when using VoIP over 3G will be when traveling at highway speeds. Data hand-offs between cell towers is just not there yet.
Good luck everyone.
And @SKYPE: get your act together. NOW.
*Love* Skype on the Mac, but now with Iphone app exactly how do I place a free call to my contacts? Sorry so dense, but it’s not obvious to me.
Straight fromt he horses Mouth Slype is ready to launch updated app soon as restrictions removed and also push notifications underway???????????
http://blogs.skype.com/sites/en/2010/01/skype_for_iphone_13_now_availa.html
Atleast release the update
My guess is that Skype was actually developing its app for Verizon Wireless but blaming ATT and Apple.
http://www.von.com/news/verizon–skype-to-hook-up-at-mwc.html
No problems here–as a communications planner for my organization–I have to look at other alternatives which is what I’ve been doing since last December. I’m sure others have been doing the same thing. So whether Skype goes and develops its apps for Verizon’s phones or not many users are probably ready to give up at this point and are not ignorant to know that something is going on within Skype. I’m sure Verizon will find ways to stick it to its customers (by paying off Skype or) by charging them a lot more. That’s what Verizon does best–I know, because my wife has service with them. I’m sure Verizon has a new commercial coming out letting everyone know that they even have VOIP over 3G–and ATT doesn’t.
wow another post states skype over 3G has been ready since october 2009 ???? WOW.. this is horrid and slack. just pure pathetic
I quote..
“We have a 3G enabled release ready to go any time. We are obliged to sit on it due to Apple, whose developer licence agreement has not been changed to allow VoIP services on mobile connections, talk being cheap. That is what the “contractual restrictions” refers to.
Once we are allowed by Apple to release a 3G calling app, we will do so right there. You will need to update to the new version via App Store to enable the feature. “
Link : http://forum.skype.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=390841&view=findpost&p=2056621
WE NEED ANSWERS SKYPE ! no customer service = NO CUSTOMERS.
oh oh oh oh oh WAIT…
he REPEATS his message in november…
“I repeat: we can release an update that will call on 3G the very minute Apple allows us to. The ball is firmly on their court and they’re not very forthcoming. ”
Link: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=390841&view=findpost&p=2140671
It’s now seeming suspiciously like the delay to get a 3G enabled version of Skype on iPhone was the result of the Verizon-Skype dealmakers wanting to make sure that the new deal got “first of its kind” promotion in the press without people being able to point to AT&T/iPhone as already having this capability.
Still waiting… iPhone users want Skype. Those are the users you should be going after.
Skype for VZW? Who cares about VZW. People like my dad use Blackberries… he doesn’t care about Skype. Business users use those devices, they don’t care about Skype when the business is footing the bill.
I love your service but the fact that you haven’t updated your iPhone app to enable 3G is extremely frustrating. I can’t blame Apple and AT&T anymore for the lack of 3G VOIP… the ball is in your court and you appear to be dropping it.
Please….I cannot wait….
How much longer do we need to wait?
I have been using skype over 3G network in my jailbreaked iPhone for a while until I upgraded firmware to 3.1.3 by mistake. Later I found Fring can use Skype out account to make call over 3G network. Quality is as good as when I was using jailbreak.
My point is, forget about when official version will come out. Either jailbreak your iphone, or use Fring.
I guess this is what Peter wanted to say but not quite at the position to say:)
Does the recent news of Skype and Verizon impact the release date of this software? Sooner would definitely be better than later. Please let us know a timeline!
wow… we are today the 22 februar and still no update, CONGRATULATIONS SKYPE i´m verry suprised to see wat kind of company you are, saying an update comming soon… and we are waiting, and waiting… for what? is it to much asking for letting us know when soon is? is soon in one week?, one month? how many months? profile yourself and DO SOMETHING.
On this moment you are losing your credibility on all your users…
I really don’t understand this… A Skype staff person wrote that an update is ready to go once Apple lifted the restrictions. That has come and gone; yet, no update released. I find this unacceptable and very disappointing. It’s as if Skype is not listing to their customers.
I’ve installed skype since I got my iphone, but NEVER USE it. Only because “NO PUSH NOTIFICATION”. And I am still waiting…….
Any update on when this will be launched? I’ve checked almost every day for 2 weeks in the App Store.
Please hurry!
Well, it appears that this is the history:
Skype says it has an update ready to go “the moment the restrictions are lifted.”
The restrictions are lifted. Skype doesn’t issue an update.
Then Skype announces its presence on Verizon. Still doesn’t update the application for the iPhone, and keeps everyone in the dark. No updates on the blog from Peter or anyone else. No responses to probably the MANY inquiries regarding this. Just ignoring everyone who is calling them out on seemingly misleading customers. What awful business practices!
I would like to take this opportunity to let Peter, David, or anyone from Skype respond directly to the questions and concerns of Skype customers who were promised something and are now not getting any answers. The ball is now in “your” court Skype. I challenge you to answer me either on this forum, or Peter – via the Skype text that I just sent you. I await your reply.
ARE WE ALL NUTS???
Okay, i guess its my third comment on this page and i have noticed the anger of a lott of people, people who are users of Skype, costumers, people who have helped Skype grow, grow so much that the can use us the way they like, maybee they think: “look at that blog or look at that forum, when we wait a little more they must know we do it the only way that we want, we are skype and we are god”
Sorry to all of the people who write a comment to this blog, we all try to send a message to skype, we all try to say,”Hey Skype, you have made a promise, give it to us” well, i´m thinking Skype is laughing, the same time Skype use us, saying to other companies “Look how people ask us, almost begging to deliver a product of us, look how importent we are….”
Well, i guess the forget that without the milions of users they are nothing, less than a worm….
Is here one person that can say ” hi, i have writen here a comment and i have become a respons from Skype, one answer on a verry simple question, When we become the PROMISED IPHONE APP for the 3G network”
NOT ONE USER COULD WRITE THIS DOWN, WHY? BECAUSE WE ARE NOT IMPORTANT FOR SKYPE, WE STUPID PEOPLE!!!
We asking new for more than 2-3 monts on skype for 1 Answer, 1 VERRY SIMPLE ANSWER, and what we get? NOTHING, NADA…
Well my friends, what do we do about this? gonna wait for an answer we never get? waiting until our big VOIP-GOD remember there are some people on which they have made a promise?
i don´t know, maybee we have to search to a way to show Skype we are not the WORMS the think we are…
MAYBEE THERE HAPPEN SOMETHING SOON… SOMETRHING SKYPE DON`T EXPECTED, MAYBEE WE (SKYPE USERS) JOIN TOGETHER AND SEARCH FOR A WAY TO PUT PRESSURE ON SKYPE, A WAY WHERE WE CAN SHOW SKYPE THAT THEY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY GROWN UP BECAUSE OF US !!!!
Shame on Skype
I was very disappointed to read about Skypes 2-3 year exclusive deal with Verizon. I am an AT&T customer using an iPhone, which I love. I have been a huge Skype fan, and have been using Skype on Linux, Mac and Windows for years. I was really hoping that there would be a 3g version of Skype for the iPhone, because my family lives in Europe, and I don’t have an international dialling with my AT&T account.
So my question for Skype is this: Is there ever going to be a 3g version that can be used on the AT&T network? Was this delay nothing more than a smokescreen for your del with Verizon. I am now contemplating dropping skype completely and switching to another VOIP solution.
Come on Skype, get your act together, or else I think you will lose a lot of customers.