Microsoft with its once pioneering video service, Skype, has introduced major changes this year. It started with the India-centric Skype Lite launched in India earlier this year. Microsoft Skype for mobile then went through a major redesign change, albeit borrowing a few features from Snapchat. Microsoft has now officially started rolling out the new Skype for desktop app.
The update will be gradually available to Mac, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Linux users. With the redesigned Skype app, Microsoft aims to give a smartphone experience on desktop as well. You can choose between different colors and themes on the new Skype app. Your chat list can be customized by organizing your contact list according to time, unread, or status, and also pin people or groups. The new Skype also allows you to change the layout from a standard view to compact view, or collapse the chat list.
Skype is now cloud-based which means that you can share up to 300MB of files, photos, and videos on the app. You can do so by dragging and dropping the items. Microsoft also says that with cloud connectivity, Skype consumes less battery on your device. Skype is also enabled with cross-device functionality letting you use the app on whichever device it is installed on. 
An interesting addition to Skype is the notification panel which can be accessed by clicking the bell icon on top. Here, you can view reactions to your messages, and if you’ve been mentioned in group conversations or quoted. You can tap on the notifications to open the selected message. There’s a chat gallery as well where you can look for shared media between your contacts. Skype also has add-ins now for sending content straight from Giphy or YouTube.
Quite late in the game but Skype on desktop is now enabled with reactions. You can now reply to messages during chats or video calls with reactions. In group chats, you can also mention someone by using the @ symbol against their name. Microsoft has re-introduced status updates on Skype. Lastly, Skype on desktop gets bots like Scoop, Hipmunk, among others for small tasks like ticket pricings and flight timings.