Make group video calls with up to 10 people with the new beta version of Skype for Windows
Today we’ve released an update to Skype for Windows. The second beta of Skype 5.0 brings a number of changes both outside and in – most importantly, you can now make group video calls with up to 10 people. It also welcomes in a fresh new look, as well as increased stability and better quality when making group video calls. Read on to find out more, or download it now.
Make group video calls with up to 10 people
You can now use Skype to make group video calls* with up to 10 people – letting you bring even more of your family, friends or business together, even if you’re cities or continents apart.
Note that everyone in a group video call now needs to be running this version, so if your friends, family or colleagues are using Beta 1, they’ll have to upgrade before you can include them in group video calls.
A refreshed user interface
You’ll notice that the new-look Skype is sleeker, neater and crisper than before, and we’re proud of the work our interface designers have done to refine and mature the interface for this version. We’ve also added Skype Home, where you can follow your contacts' mood messages, set your profile picture and mood message, receive account notifications and learn more about using Skype.
Better stability and quality
We’ve made improvements to call quality when making group video calls, as well as fixed a number of bugs affecting stability, so your calling experience should be smoother than before. This version also includes automatic call recovery, which should help automatically reconnect Skype calls that are interrupted due to network problems. We’ve also made a number of other housekeeping fixes since the first beta – but please bear in mind that this is still a beta version, and so there may be the odd bug remaining.
* Group video calling is currently available as a free trial. For group video calls, everyone in the group video call will need Skype 5.0 Beta 2 for Windows.
When is the next Mac beta out? I have been waiting for a really long time now…
And for linux?
Well guys, you knew these comments were coming
Just deserted windows and went all Ubuntu. 2.1 Beta is getting a bit behind, also on the UI, and some stability issues.
Please? If I ask very nicely?
C’mon skype mac, up your game.
I understand that a Mac Beta probably won’t come out until after initial testing for Windows, but I know a lot of people who would be interested in this beta. I for one would love it if I can chat with my family and my dad who is overseas all at the same time. Also I’m waiting for Skype to incorporate video calling with the front camera on the iPhone 4.
“You’ll notice that the new-look Skype is sleeker, neater and crisper than before”. You must be kidding, right? The new Skype contacts view is just awful, so spread out with the picture icons. There should be an option for a more compact view, without the icons in front of the name. I don’t understand why with very version the look is worse and worse. AT least the quality of the video and sound are improving and adding new features such a conference video call. Other wise I like it. I’m still nostalgic about 3.8 version though. That’s how skype should look.
Just to point out, but the download page says you can have up to a 4 way video call
But when are you launching the official version. I don’t want to use the beta version even if it looks awesome.
It looks pretty good except for the fact that the contact list now takes up a lot more space than before. Can’t you at least make it optional to show the contact’s picture and status message? Each contact now uses two lines instead of one.
Ditto. Mac folks want the latest and greatest functionality too please
Also when a call ends and you click on the CLOSE button the Skype Home Page pops up. That’s obnoxious.
I agree with flogamer01! As a teacher I am tethered to my Mac. I love the computer, but need the things that could be done with the Beta.
That’s awesome!! can’t wait the mac beta version!!!
I agree, this is awesome but a Mac version would be amazing. I’d love to webcam to even an extra person at once!
is there atleast 3-way video conferencing available for mac?
Dear Skype Team,
I was never convinced of Skype 4, But Skype 5 Beta 2 is a friendly nod to your loyal fans who have been with you from the start. Simplified User Interface, Better Ease of Use, Nice Design and new Profile management with Facebook integration. Great Job !
I agree with the others, the contacts list is terrible, I have 100′s of contacts and they are so spread out it is unusable. Also how much memory and band with does the new version use, as a lot of people still have slow connections. When are you going to make “add to contacts” buttons for websites? Many times I want people to add me but not call me.
I have only few word to express my opinion about SKYPE ! Skype is my life !!! Skype 5 looks awesome !!!
Is there any possibility that now when Skype 5 is almost ready for us, SKype team to make available for download Skype Portable Version also 5 for the USB devices. It would be great and soo cool. I could just take it anywhere i go on my USB device.
All my love and respect for Skype Team !
P.S. – waiting for an answer only from a member of Skype Team !
I see no benefit in having the thummnails next to the names in the contact list and they takes up space, making the list longer. This is an even bigger problem for the Outlook contacts where all of the icons are simply question marks. I would like this to be optional.
Otherwise everything is working well.
I use Skype a lot every day, and I can’t help feeling this new “Skype Home” window is going to be a nuisance. I understand some people may want news, alerts etc. but I don’t. I’d really like the option to hide it so that it only appears when I choose it from a menu. Along the same lines, I would prefer if NO UI components appear at startup by default. While Skype is a handy program that I use every day, I still don’t want it to be filling my screen every time I start up. Whenever I need it, I know where the system tray is.
Good work on adding a video conference feature, though. That’s going to be really handy with my work! I should also say my wife and I would probably never have survived our distance relationship without Skype so I do appreciate your program!
Things I do not like about Sype 5 beta 2:
- memory usage is way way higher than I recall any previous version using. over 100MB at times. why?
- Skype “dims” my audio SYSTEM WIDE when i have a skype IM or Call notification sound being played. I can not find a way to turn this off. if i am playing music, the music fades to barely audible for about 5 secs, then fades back to normal. Pretty ridiculous IMO to have this enabled by default when no other IM software does something like this. And i see no way to toggle it off! Please help me find a way to disable it.
Yes, I totally agree with ckyuss. The v4 and v5 Skype user interface is more and more a deprovement from v3.8.
Because:
1. In normal view Skype covers min 30% of my destop.
2. In normal view I do not need to know every detail of my selected contact permanently visible. I know him/her. But if needed, in v3.8 I could reach this info by 1 click.
3. In normal view I do not need the chat if I am calling. If I do need, I could reac it in v3.8 with one click.
4. In v4 and v5 beta compact view, everíthing needs 2 clicks. Why the chat/call icons disapeared?! This is the most embarrassing.
5. In v5 beta, I can see only 12 personsbecause of the pictures.
Sorry, I can see the technical improvements, but the user interface of 3.8 was the nicest, clearest ever. Please in compact view learn from the perfectness of v3.8, othervise we will use v3.8 forever. I am reinstalling it again, and I am not the only one as far as I see.
I am sure it is possible to make a statistics checking how many old users use the old good v3.8 still. Skype should check this…
How do I disable Skype Home in the beta? It is irritating to have that screen popup on startup.
In addition, there are lots of problems with group video conferencing in that the video either does not start or freezes. I believe it might have to do with issues of your new permission system involving the “free trial” stuff.
Have to agree with others, the new contact list is the opposite of cleaner and slicker… With no option to turn off a contacts icon in the contact list, the list in general is larger and hard to look at.
Plus, I understand the whole “lets compete with facebook and twitter” with this new home screen, but there should be a way to turn this page from ever popping up.
I think people are missing the fact that multiple video calls are a free trial at this point……no word from Skype with proposed charges. I’m guessing this may be a useful feature, but if they are going to charge for it, I can see Google very quickly catching up and making it a free service….come on Skype, sort it out!
we are waiting group video calling to be free of charge
It is not possible to upgrade to this beta version in China! Why?
The download page always redirect to the special page: http://skype.tom.com/. Any suggested solution?
Version from this page always have tonnes of adware!
This is mostly a very nice release as far as I can tell.
Other than the addition of several very welcome feature, Skype feels much faster and more snappy. Especially its formerly very slow startup experience feels much improved.
However, there is one thing that is seriously annoying:
I’m using Skype in its “compact” view which personally gives me a much better user experience than the “full” mode.
Now Skype opens TWO windows on each start, the usual main window with contacts and conversations and the new “Skype Home”. It doesn’t remember if “Skype Home” has been closed and I have found no way to disable it from showing on every start.
Please allow is to keep Skype light and simple and don’t force “Skype Home” on us like this, it is almost entirely useless to me and there is certainly no reason to force me to close it after every start of Skype.
So please, either make it remember its last state (open or closed) or give us an option to toggle it, please.
Waiting for this feature for Linux Ubuntu
Here’s another vote for Mac. This would be great to use for our startup company. We’ve got 5 people. The only problem is, we’ve all got Macs.
How come the screen share does not work with more than 2 people? i set up a meeting with 6 people and had to cancel it due to not being able to screen share.
Hi Skype Team
I am a daily Skype user since more than 5 years.
I like many of the UI huge changes in this BETA 2 version, but I quite agree with many comments about the uncontrollable “Home Page” function and the over sized contact thumbnail images.
May I add a suggestion in how to re-size the contact thumbnail images?
Could we have the contact thumbnail images reduced down to the same size as the “Presence” icons (Online, Away, Do Not Disturb, Invisible etc) and then the contact thumbnail images can only enlarge (like the Presence icons do & one at each time) when I place the PC mouse cursor over the top of the each contact thumbnail image.
This idea would at least enable us to view our contact list the normal way we had before and save much wasted space of a now very long contact list.
Finally, most of my contact list is made up of phone numbers I call with my Online Number and therefore I have many contact thumbnail images just showing as a standard Grey Home Telephone icon, which I do not really need to see so large.
I hope these ideas help.
Thanks Skype Team.
Steve (New Zealand)
To bring some objectivity…
Beta version is about exactly this, not just bugfix but also feedback. If a feature is causing a lot of response then Skype dev team need to respond in next stable release.
Biggest problem is the Large icons in contact list. We have netbook dedicated to Skype with tiny screen and many contacts so list is looooong, so absolutely frustrating. Also cant disable the advert under contact list reducing usable list window further. It is not unusual to have ads in free service but for subscribers should be able to disable ads without being re-directed to Skype web-page, too much of that already when browsing the web, we already know what Skype is and what it gives, that’s why we subscribe.
We have worked and live in the middle east for 2 yrs. A Skype subscription is a lifesaver for everyday contact with kids & grand-kids back in UK so will continue. Those that pay for Skype are mostly paying for phone service at very reasonable rates, so application should be ‘phone user friendly’. Just my humble tow pennies….
Hi,
Like sopasteve, I’ve been a daily user of Skype for several years, and I too find the pop-up home page and the contact thumbnails extremely irritating.
I like to keep windows on my desktop as small as possible, and don’t like unnecessary clutter; the Skype Home window is most certainly unnecessary for my needs, and the thumbnails make the Contact window much larger than it needs to be.
Unfortunately there is no sensible alternative to Skype for my type of usage, and you are taking advantage of that by forcing these unwanted and unnecessary things onto people like me.
At least other providers with a monopoly give the option to alter and adapt to personal preferences, so please give us a break – let it be customisable!
Thanks, Robin (UK)
I tried this new betal for over a day now, and i’ve just uninstalled it and gone back to 4.2
shame, because the previous beta i had installed was great (it was forced off my computer by skype – it said : ”Skype is no longer available for your operating system” – HOW DARE YOU!!!)
but rather than just criticism, i will feedback on my thoughts on this new 5.0 beta.
Contacts list – Too big, ugly and i dont want to see people’s pictures. I know what the people look like, and most of them dont have profile images, so we just get the horrid big grey icons. Not nice. Takes up waaaay to much space!
Conversations history – there is no “X” to remove the conversations now. Very annoying when there is spam conversation in the recent list.
Adverts – No No NO!!! I dont want a page with skype adverts when i finish a call. ESPECIALLY when i have selected in the options not to have them!!! I dont need reminders that i can get a skype out number. had one before. never used it. waste of money for me… too much skype services spam too regularly…
Buggy – well, it is a beta version, but the previous beta i had was awesome!
i could go on, but since i have uninstalled it now, im erasing this versions memory from my mind as well as my computer.
Try again, skype dev team.
and no, i didnt try out the new 1 million way call feature, mainly because i wouldnt in my right mind ask any of my contacts to install that particular version….
waitwut? i can’t disable this stupid “Skype Home”. geez, even the old similarly ghastly AOL IM companion window could be disabled. uninstalling the beta in 3 … 2 … 1 …
Skype dev team, you really need to do something about memory usage in Skype 5. Skype has become bloatware. I suspect it’s because if having to host a web browser control to support Facebook & Twitter. If so, make it possible to disable this feature and NOT LOAD the phat web browser. And if that’s not the cause, please find out what it is and put Skype 5 on an emergency crash diet!
Totally agree about the icons. A complete waste of space – this isn’t Facebook!
No one browses visually, everyone browses by thinking “Name -> A-Z -> Oh, there they are”. All the icons do is waste space, and actually detract from the user experience.
Definitely provide options for this – I’m thinking:
1 – no icons
2 – single icon only upon selecting a contact
3 – all icons
I must admit – the filter bar at the top is useful – even more so no there is so much space taken up with unnecessary images!
Cheers,
Dave
Skype home is a nuisance. There needs to be a way to turn it off. It’s so annoying, I’m going to roll back to a previous version of skype.
Agreed about the memory usage – 93MB on startup, thru to 145MB after a few hours use – too much!
A friend of mine had the misfortune of having the latest version of Skype downloaded on his computer, which obviously knocked out the one he enjoyed using before. I have not witnessed this myself, but it appears that, with the new version (when engaged in a group conversation), the photo of the person pops out on the screen, probably enlarges (if there is a photo), blocking the view and visual activity of the names of the other participants. This, he says, is very confusing, whereas the previous version did not do that. Is this a problem that other users are experiencing? If so, is there a way to fix it?
First off I must say: “HATE IT HATE HATE IT HATE HATE IT!”
That said, here is why:
1. UI is rubbish. It is cluttered, the pictures are too big…and honestly, I don’t need them. The compact view is unusable.
2. The call functions are annoying at best. When I started a call it would cover up my text chat. Most of the time I use video with text chatting…this is rather annoying. I find it is possible to separate it, but why? I have already gone back to 3.8.
3. The auto reconnect is freaking annoying. Usually, if the call drops there is a good reason and one that won’t be solved in a mater of the half a second that skype tries to call back in. On top of that it doesn’t start the video back up so I have to turn it back on covering up my text yet again.
4. The last bit is how they sneak in the option to automatically update to the latest version…this is how you get your wonderful 3.8 removed from your system. Since they don’t provide downloads of their site, that I found anyways, you have to go to third parties to get the old installers.
Good day skype, keep trying…and could you please work out why my linux skype keeps seg faulting?
As almost everybody, I have gone back to 3.8
Please let us have 5 version with 3.8 GUI
the main basic feature of skype is to allow video and instant message chat simultaneously. i just downloaded skype beta 5.0 for mac, and immediately noticed the improved clarity of the video. however, i was unable to find the text input box. when i eventually found it, it opened, but this caused the video to close. for twenty minutes i tried in vain to relocate the video link, whilst my friend on skype beta for windows continued to see me and herself. whilst not being a computer whizz, i’m also not a computer slouch, and an inveterate skype user. if i can’t navigate around the page, i would suggest the new beta user interface isn’t user-friendly or intelligible enough by half!
sort it out, skype!
I agree too much memory consumption:120MB
Not a Windoze box in sight in my neighborhood..
100% Mac and Linux along with a Nokia N900 on Maemo_OS5.
Great job Skype for supporting various platforms… Just one humble request…. Bring em all up to the same level please…thank you!
js
So….this is free, right?
Looking for a new contact is now a nightmare on the new Skye. Before a compact list of possibles was neatly listed with the country flag, and we could sort the list. Now you have icons and have to click through many pages to find the one you are looking for.