Skype for iPhone: Update for iOS 4 coming soon
We’ve updated our iPhone app – you can now make video calls.
Update: it’s out 
There’s a lot of excitement among the mobile team here at Skype, as both iOS 4 and the iPhone 4 will arrive on our desks this week. And we’ve been hard at work building an update to our iPhone app which will support multitasking in iOS 4.
With every update to the iPhone OS (now called iOS), Apple introduces a number of changes to the software. In order to make sure we give you the best experience possible, we need to carry out some additional tests with the final version of iOS 4.
When we’re confident that the app will live up to your high expectations, we’ll make it available for download. Stay tuned!
@i_levit customers may have a right to complain, and complain you should; there is a difference between filing a complaint and continuous asinine comments that solve nothing.
@hypnosmd you can rationalize your posts anyway you would like, but even you are aware that the degree to which you are complaining far exceeds anyone else on this blog. so when I said get a life, it was directed to you only, and no one else. Skype got your message from your initial post, and they will handle it the way they so choose. If you have a problem with their progress then switch to fring or some other service that you claim to be timely with iPhone development. Want to provoke change? quit paying for their service and find someone else.
The monthly service fee costs less than one coffee, do you complain this much over a cup of coffee, if so did you ever stop to think maybe it’s frothy because the barista filled it with saliva?
Cheers
@i_levit customers may have a right to complain, and complain you should; there is a difference between filing a complaint and continuous asinine comments that solve nothing.
@hypnosmd you can rationalize your posts anyway you would like, but even you are aware that the degree to which you are complaining far exceeds anyone else on this blog. so when I said get a life, it was directed to you only, and no one else. Skype got your message from your initial post, and they will handle it the way they so choose. If you have a problem with their progress then switch to fring or some other service that you claim to be timely with iPhone development. Want to provoke change? quit paying for their service and find someone else.
The monthly service fee costs less than one coffee, do you complain this much over a cup of coffee, if so did you ever stop to think maybe it’s frothy because the barista filled it with saliva?
Cheers
My posts are rational. You keep bitching and moaning like i am the only one posting complaints. If you actually read all my posts you would see there is a consistent theme. Skype has a horrible tract record of delays ie..push 3g. You really read all my posts and i need to get a life. What loooooser you are. I bet you would spit in someone’s drink you freak.
You would have to wonder how long Skype can survive as a company with their constant disregard of “talking” to their customers.
Once Skype was the number 1 company as there were few VoIP options. Now with so many options and price structures Skype needs to do more to keep its cutomers. But they don’t seem to care or listen.
Skype staff don’t forget to switch off the lights when you leave your comfortable jobs and let the door hit you on the way out. Don’t think you are going to come back to a job much longer.
Yet another terminally frustrated user. I get that software development can be tricky. What I dont get is the lack of communication. I worked for a megacorp that was hugely successful and is now in the toilet (and I quit) thanks to much the same problem: overpromising, underdelivering, and failing to communicate. I am looking for an alternative to Skype as of now. I want an application that will keep running in the background. Considering how many other companies have managed this, Im very disappointed in Skype’s performance, which completely sucks because I used to love it. Early adopter, evangelist, etc. No longer.
-one more former fan
…adding a final comment. Since I last posted I downloaded and installed Nimbuzz. It’s perfect. The really pathetic part is that Nimbuzz works much like Trillian – it is an application aggregator, which includes….yep. Skype. So I’m using Skype with a Nimbuzz skin on it, and it works perfectly, exactly the way I wish Skype did. Why can’t the Skype developers do the same?
I don’t know why this happens but all the skype chat alternatives like nimbuzz, im+, truphone etc all sign you out of skype after so long BUT other im platforms like msn and google talk don’t – even when run through third party clients – why is this, is there a technical reason or is it because skype are a bunch of ******??
Shh…. no one mention Nimbuzz again. We don’t want to bring them to Skype’s attention or they are liable to cut them off just like they did Fring. I am this close to closing out my account too. I’m giving them one more month.
Came back here for another round of skype bashing, but decided against it. No point.
Skype, you have exactly one week to tell us when the hell is going on with your iOS4 update before I jump ship, and believe me, I’m not coming back. Inept software developers, non-existant PR department, and a management who fails to act on what every day is becoming an increasingly serious blight on the skype brand name. Don’t care about your customers? That’s fine. Plenty of other VOIP providers out there to choose from.
Jesus christ everyone! give them some time to figure everything out!! they dont need to end up updating it to ios 4 and having a shitty app like facebook did. give them a chance. im sure theyre working on tons of new features like maybe even video calling with iphone 4. give em some time.
Hi Peter,
any chance that this next release will support video calls on my iPhone 4?
Ciao, Bernd
@dwilban: Im afraid it’s too late. Nimbuzz has stopped working for skype calling.
@nathan.knopp, @bkunrath,
There is no chance Skype will get video calls in this expected update. Seriously, do you think they will add a new major function while they still have a boatload of gaping holes of missing basic functionality? It’s been well over a year since the first version of Skype for iPhone was released, and it still lacks emoticon support; Skype’s own custom emoticons come as , and … A year after mass adoption of push notifications, Skype is the only IM app out there that not only lacks them, but shows no sign that they will ever come. It took them 6 months to enable calls over 3G, after it was officially allowed and everyone else added it to their VoIP apps within a week (and this did not even require any coding – they just were fighting their own greed in deciding when to start charging money for it). Now, it’s been almost 3 months after they announced the background VoIP support, over a month since the final iOS 4 version was ready, and they are still “testing” their update. And now you really think they will just, all of a sudden, add video calls? A major feature, much more complex than anything they have accomplished so far with their iPhone app? Give me a break.
If they’ll ever add video call functionality to their iPhone app, I’ll say it will be in 2-3 years from now. By the time, Apple’s FaceTime will be expanded beyond new iPhones to iTouches, iPads, Macs and a bunch of 3rd party gear. And I bet Skype, should they ever add video calls to mobile devices, will make it PAID, not free. Just like Skype-to-Skype calls when using the iPhone app over 3G, just like multi-party video calls they are rolling out in their Windows app. Yes, the iconic free Skype functionality slowly but surely gets not-so-free. And as it does, Skype is slowly turning from an innovative startup into a massive, bloated, greedy and arrogant telco. Guess it’s time for us Skype users to jump ship before it’s too late!
Funny, even their forum renders their custom emoticons, but their iPhone app still doesn’t. Video calls, say you?
I’m curious: since iOS 4.1 update will obviously come out before Skype’s update, will Skype use this as a reason to hold their update further for “more testing”? There will be more differences between 4.1 and 4.0 than between the late 4.0 betas and GM. Free idea here for you Skype – just tell us that your background VoIP-capable update will need some further testing for iOS 4.1 compatibility! And then, when iOS 4.2 comes out – even more testing!!! Come on Skype, we’ll understand – it’s all for our own good, to make sure we get it bug-free!
Peter,
I’ve been an avid user of skype, I am a paying customer, and I’ve promoted this service to almost all my associates, customers and family. As a business person, I cant believe the lack of information, when you have your most loyal customers, beggin for a valid explanation on what happened with this “soon to be released” update that never was.
I will have to say that, either Skype is not prepared to deal with this situation or the PR department has no clue on crisis management. Eventually your customer base will be dissapointed, and wil seek new alternatives.
Anyone else notice skypes no longer in the app store? Update being posted perhaps?
Apps don’t disappear from the App Store when updates are being posted. Maybe it’s Apple’s revenge for tarnishing their reputation by failing to deliver a product promised during Apple’s conference?
BTW, any mention of iPhone is gone from Skype’s website – it’s all about Verizon now. Which kinda’ dismisses the idea that it might be an App Store glitch.
Correction: it’s still there but is now under “Other mobile solutions”, along with the dumbphones. The only platforms that now officially support Skype Mobile ™ are Andriod (Verizon) and BlackBerry (Verizon).
*is* there a workable alternative for Skype?
apparently the old skype is MIA after they submitted their latest update to ios4. This is according to tech crunch.They are working on it?
Please let it have support for FaceTime for iPhone 4 – skype calls. That would be awesome!!
Skype was missing from the app store earlier on, but it is back up on it now.it would make you wonder what is going on behind the scenes now, wouldn’t it ?
Well it looks like they submitted an app for iOS4 and it was rejected http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/16/skype-iphone/ . So now we will get the Skype spin, “we tried but Apple blocked us”.
Another black mark against Skype for putting in a failed app.
Any kind of timeline from Skype to provide its user with an update to when they are going to release their software that will support ios4 instead of saying coming soon. Can you please let us know the month that when to expect the new software.
Skype is for video so bring video to iphone, its that easy. sad other companies are beating you to it.
why so slow skype? take your time?
Skype is for video so bring video to iphone, its that easy. sad other companies are beating you to it.
why so slow skype? take your time?
@Peter Parkes
I have one word for the time it takes to get the OS4 version ready:
Zzzzzzzzz
wow no one really expected it to take this long,
Your product is brilliant and your reputation comes with it, but people are losing it so don’t lose them!
Looking forward for an ios 4 update this week hopefully.
COME ON GUYS!!!!!!!!
Sent from my iPhone4
@davidgbrookes it wasn’t rejected by apple, just had bugs in the program per the TC article. hopefully will fix and resubmit soon. c’mon skype
I think it’s now time for the skype team to communicate. Seriously.
@jeffvidal lets just hope they dont use Skype to communicate !!!
Where’s Skype for Android Europe?????
*lol* you guys messed it up so badly by showcasing and not delivering, that fring gains so many customers of yours in weeks that they had bandwidth trouble on their servers! Because fring works as perfect as it always did providing textpush, call push and multitasking! They even support my sip client, google talk msn icq and aol, Skype app is gone for ever from my iPhone now.
just tell us when you going to release ios 4 update
Complete joke.
Open Letter to Skype:
Please replace David Ponsford. I am frustrated that he cannot lead his team to release updates frequently. It’s obvious he is unable meet customer expectations. A lot of customers have been sitting idle waiting for some information about the iPhone ; unfortunately, Skype has not be forthcoming. The best they can do is state – coming soon! We saw this back with the 3G update was promised and now again with iOS4.
In my opinion, David has done a poor job managing customer expectations. As it is, customers feel ignored and when we see hundreds of posts with no follow up we wonder if our feedback is seen as any value. Maybe we should start directing this feedback to Josh Silverman via twitter, @JoshatSkype? Maybe we will get some indication from him when an iOS4 update will be out rather then Peter Parks?
There is no real alternative to Skype; however, some developers are producing wonderful apps that seem to be filling in gaps where Skype is failing. For example, Fring produced an application that worked on Android phones. It’s disappointing to learn that they were blocked by Skype. I am sure hundreds of their customers made requests for Skype to run under the Android platform; yet, Skype fails to address this need. Fring was out there meeting the need until Skype threaten them with legal action.
I sure hope Skype is reading what is going on around their ecosystem… For example, I just read the following news today:
Wall Street Journal’s App Watch: Pinger Moves From Free Text To Free Calls
Blog article at http://ow.ly/2dwqs
It will be interesting to see how the landscape of voip calling changes in the months to come. As developers continue to come out with exciting VOIP apps, this sure will only lead to a win-win for customers.
I fully agree with costanzo98031′s post. Not only did Skype fail to deliver, they also failed to communicate with their customer base.
Hello Peter, thanks for your response.
I don’t want to loose my hope, that skype will be truly functional on iOS4 (multitasking) and maybe (as a plus) the videoconferencing on iPhone 4, your application is good, multiplatform and user friendly, can’t give my opinion about other apps out there.
As you can see, there are many frustrated users, that in one way or another trying to be heard, in my personal opinion I think the bigger problem is not, not having the application ready, the biggest problem is having no communication from you, I think this is harming Skype’s image in the market.
Can you provide further information about your new version for iOS 4 please? (like dates when it will be ready, or the current status)
Thanks
I have been looking at this page daily since the 21st of June. I love Skype, and was very excited by the demo you gave a couple of months back. All I can say now, is that my patience is wearing very thin indeed. It reeks of a waterfall project gone bad.
Why can you not just simply tell us all why it is taking so long? Your silence is achieving nothing other than alienating your loyal customers.
Please, any further information about the Skype upgrade for iOS4…
Thanks.
@costanzo98031 just to reassure you – we read every single comment posted here (and as many as we can from elsewhere on the web). When we have something concrete to say, we do so; unfortunately, we don’t have any additional information to share about the iPhone app at the moment.
I finally logged in here to see what the problem is with the iOS4 version. All this time, I thought I was doing something wrong, had my prefs set improperly, etc. It didn’t occur to me that the update for Skype simply wasn’t out yet. Wow.
The fact that Skype officially has nothing to say about the iOS 4 update for their iPhone app clearly indicates that, if we shall ever see this update at all, it will not happen anytime soon.
It’s just pathetic to see Skype taking enormous amount of time trying to implement a feature that they themselves boasted to be possible by adding a few lines of code. Apple has done all the groundwork for Skype by creating a set of API’s; Apple gave Skype a priority over the rest of the pack by giving them the earliest access to the new SDK betas; and yet the rest of the pack has managed to implement the feature by now, but Skype hasn’t. Impressive.
Hi Peter,
I can understand the long wait to be the work of exhaustive testing on a new video calling feature on skype. After all skype has a huge user base and want to ensure that customers have the highest quality product.
But I don’t understand why skype hasn’t calmed the nerves of thousands of frustrated iPhone users by at the very least releasing an interim update with just the basic iOS features implemented such as backgrounding and retina display graphics.
I am sure everyone agrees that frequent smaller updates are better than less frequent big updates. This combined with letting users know that you are working on making the video on the iphone the highest quality experience would be a great PR move.
Thanks,
Cy
“I am sure everyone agrees that frequent smaller updates are better than less frequent big updates. This combined with letting users know that you are working on making the video on the iphone the highest quality experience would be a great PR mov”
Agreed. I find one of the main issues with some companies, especially ones where the developers are running the project management cycle, is a product is never finished. It is always, “Oh, but there’s this feature we have to include”, then as that feature is almost implemented, “oh, we gotta add this feature!” and so on and so forth. There is the assumption that each version update has to include major changes to justify an update.
Personally, if they froze Skype’s current feature list and only focused on multitasking support for iOS 4, I’d be more than happy with that since multitasking is a significant feature enhancement, given iPhone has been able to multitask between voice and other apps since day 1.
I don’t know if these constant feature additions are the cause of delays in the release or not, but I can tell you right now, if that is the case, I don’t have to point much further than 3D Realms as an example of a company that failed for that reason. If this is the case, Skype is pissing off a lot of customers for this reason. The worry then becomes that iPhone 5 is released before Skype fully supports iPhone and iOS 4.
I’m personally getting worried as to whether I should hold my breath or not on the ability to use my iPad at my desk to talk to people on Skype while taking notes in Pages or something. The next generation iPad may be released before that happens at this rate.
Unbelievable!
It’s out!
Background VoIP, push IM’s and hi-res graphics for Retina display are included. I’ve never been so happy about being wrong in my earlier assertions!
Now on to testing this thing.
It’s an improvement to finally have it out, but no video calling