At the end of March 2019, developers have stopped supporting classic Skype and require users to upgrade to the latest version. The biggest problem is that Skype 8 does not support Windows XP and Windows Vista, which means that many users have lost contact with friends, for example, if they have an old computer or they cannot update the operating system.
Before the New Year, the developers decided to “delight” the fans of classic Skype and started the process of ending support for Skype 7. This means that users must install Skype 8 in order to use Skype for Windows.
After the new Skype became a public release, users began asking questions: where to find a “usual action” from the old Skype or how to perform it. Since I'm tired of repeating the same thing (well, not everyone likes to read previous comments), I decided to compile a list of features here that are not yet available in the new Skype. Also, I'll try to answer the most popular questions about finding features from the classic Skype in the new Skype and performing them.
Skype shortcuts, also known as Skype hotkeys, are a combination of keyboard keys that allow you to execute certain commands or actions. Most actions can be performed using the mouse (the only exception is “Display the menu bar” and “Toggle full-screen” commands), but as rule keyboard shortcuts are more convenient.
In the new version, as in the classical one, Skype shortcuts are supported, although they are slightly different. Unfortunately, their customization is not yet supported, so you should get used to them.
Because starting from July 1, 2017 the Skype moves from the P2P (peer-to-peer) architecture to the cloud infrastructure, it will be discontinued the support of some devices and operating systems. This means that Skype will stop working on such platforms (in most cases there will be authorization problems) and no new versions or updates will be released for them.
Users of the old Skype accounts can transform them in the Microsoft accounts. Also, they have the opportunity to combine Skype and Microsoft accounts. As a rule, this process is optional, but there are cases, when for the use of Skype you must get a Microsoft account without fail. And as you have guessed, in this walkthrough I’ll show you how to do it.
Skype Wi-Fi is a special service that allows you to connect to the Internet via public pay hotspots Wi-Fi, using the money from your Skype account. Thus, when you are in another country or in another city, and you need access to the network, and there are no free points of Wi-Fi nearby — turn on the service Skype Wi-Fi and use the Internet, paying for every minute of the time, spent on the Internet (depending on the tariff value, the signal strength and connection speed, you choose yourself which of the available hotspots suits you best).
NGC is a new audio codec used for Skype-to-Skype calls and it is designed to replace the previous codec SILK, that once replaced its predecessor SVOPC. Abbreviated from “Next Generation Calling”, the new Skype audio codec is still in the testing stage (I think so because it’s activated randomly), but already noticed that during a NGC call, compared to SILK one, the voice sounds much cleaner without background noise and interferences.
Recently, more and more users of Skype for Windows began to notice a new process SkypeBrowserHost.exe, which appears in the list of processes while working Skype. Given that the developers haven’t told officially about it, and that sometimes you can notice not one, but up to 5 processes SkypeBrowserHost.exe, some users have mistakenly assumed that this is a virus. Having looked through the official forum, in this post I have gathered answers to the most frequently asked questions related to this process.
Programs which have been translated their UI into several languages, have a common “problem” — if in some way the language has been changed to an unknown one (for example, Chinese or Arabic), it is very difficult for an inexperienced user to change language back to English. And since the language is not known, and all the letters look like incomprehensible hieroglyphs, you will have to change the language of the program at random. And as you understand, this “problem” exists on Skype too.
But don’t worry, with the help of this guide you will learn how to change the language on Skype from Arabic to English without any effort and knowledge of this language. Why Arabic? It's very simple — Arabic is the first language in the list of Skype, and most often it’s automatically switched to it (see below, why). So, I want to show you some ways to change Arabic to English on Skype. As a rule, these methods will work for any unknown language.
Registration in Skype is filling out a simple form in order to create a new Skype account. This process takes no more than 1-2 minutes and is not difficult at all. You can make a Skype account in different ways (e.g., in Skype for Android, Mac and iOS the registration form is available in the app itself), but in this guide I will tell you about a universal method of registration, when an account is created in the browser on the official website.
Installer, also known as a setup file — is a special executable file that installs certain software on the computer. As a rule, its tasks include checking the system compatibility and minimum requirements, unpacking and copying files, downloading additional components, modifying the registry, running the necessary services and much more.
Like most applications, Skype for Windows has its own installer, through which users can install Skype on their computers. At present, there are four types of Skype installers, and though each of them installs the same application, each type of installer is useful in certain situations.
Using the free program Skype in everyday life, you often run into occasions, when you want your friends from the contact list not to disturb you (e.g., when you work), or that nobody knew that you are online (e.g., you want to be invisible). For such situations, so-called “online statuses” have been developed on Skype, which allow you to inform your friends quickly and effectively, if you are ready to talk to them on Skype or not. On the other hand, thanks to the online statuses, you can find out, if your friend is available to talk or not.
