Microsoft rolled out a Skype update for the Android devices with major battery life improvements on Tuesday. The new version 4.7 of Skype is available for download on the Google Play store.
Skype for Android promises “aggressive battery savings” even if the users leave the app running in the background “without noticeably affecting battery life.”
“It has been a challenging process, because to do this we’ve had to transform to the way Skype technology works,” Skype wrote in a blog. “Actually we’re still undergoing that transformation – the process is not yet complete. But we are now at a stage where you can enjoy the fruits of our labor.”
Skype for Android version 4.7 also brings:
- A fix for audio and video calling bug on tablets (without Bluetooth connectivity).
- A workaround for a bug on Android 4.4 KitKat that “caused a runaway process when the camera was synced in the background”
- Enables the listing of a user’s Windows Live Messenger contacts in the default contacts view
Skype for Android has temporarily turned off instant notification of messages in group chats, to make this “aggressive battery savings” possible. However, the company said that the feature will be added back “in the near future” when it no longer impacts the battery life.
Skype also noted that if group chat is critical, the feature can be turned on through the new Sync group messages option under the settings menu in the background box.
Microsoft said that the update will be launched for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets by the end of this month.
