Skype ( ) is a telecommunications software application product specializing in providing video chat and voice calls between your computer, tablet, mobile device, Xbox One console and smart watch through Internet and to a regular telephone. Skype also provides instant messaging services. Users can send text and video messages, and can exchange digital documents such as pictures, text, and video. Skype allows video conferencing calls.
Skype implements the freemium business model. Most of the services are free, but Skype Credits or subscriptions are required for calling home phones or mobile numbers. By the end of 2010, there were over 660 million users worldwide, with over 300 million active forecasts each month in August 2015. At one point in February 2012, there were 34 million users simultaneously online on Skype.
First released in August 2003, Skype was made by Swedes Niklas ZennstrÃÆ'¶m and Dane Janus Friis, in collaboration with Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn, Estonians who developed a backend that is also used in music-sharing apps. Kazaa. In September 2005, eBay acquired Skype for $ 2.6 billion.
In September 2009, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Agency announced the acquisition of 65% of Skype's $ 1.9 billion from eBay, which is associated with a company with a market value of $ 2.92 billion. Microsoft bought Skype in May 2011 for $ 8.5 billion. Skype division headquarters are in Luxembourg, but most of the development team and 44% of all division employees are still in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia.
Skype allows users to communicate over the Internet by voice, using a microphone, with video using a webcam, and with instant messaging. Skype-to-Skype calls to other users are free, while calls to landline phones and mobile phones (through traditional phone lines) are charged through a debit-based user account system called Skype Credits. Some network administrators have banned Skype on corporate, government, home, and education networks, for reasons such as inappropriate use of resources, excessive bandwidth usage and security issues.
Skype initially featured a peer-to-peer system and a client-server hybrid. Skype has been fully supported by the supernoda operated by Microsoft since May 2012. The disclosure of mass surveillance in 2013 revealed that Microsoft has granted access to unlimited access intelligence agencies to Skype's supernodes and communication content.
Through 2016 and 2017, Microsoft redesigned its Skype client by transmitting Skype from peer-to-peer services to a central Azure service and customizing the application's user interface to make text-based messaging more prominent than voice calls. Skype for Windows, iOS, Android, Mac and Linux received significant and visible improvements.
Video Skype
Etymology
The name for this software comes from "Sky peer-to-peer", which is shortened to "Skyper". However, some domain names associated with "Skyper" have been taken. Dropping the final "r" leaves the current "Skype" title, whose domain name is available.
Maps Skype
History
Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas ZennstrÃÆ'¶m, from Sweden, and Janus Friis, from Denmark. The Skype software is made by Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn. The first public beta version was released on August 29, 2003.
In June 2005, Skype signed an agreement with Polish web portal Onet.pl for integrated offerings on the Polish market. On September 12, 2005, eBay Inc. agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA for approximately USD2.5 billion in eBay advances and stocks, plus potential performance-based considerations.
On September 1, 2009, eBay announced it sold 65% of Skype to Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $ 1.9 billion, valuing Skype at US $ 2.75 billion.
Microsoft Acquisition
On May 10, 2011, Microsoft Corporation acquired Skype Communications, S.ÃÆ'r.l for US $ 8.5 billion. The company is incorporated as a Microsoft division, which acquires all of its technology with purchases. This acquisition was completed on October 13, 2011.
Shortly after the acquisition, Microsoft began to integrate Skype services with its own products. Along with taking over the development of Skype desktop and existing mobile applications, the company developed a special client application for the newly released, touch-focused Windows 8 and Windows RT operating system. They are available from the Windows Store when the new OS launches on October 26, 2012. The next year, it becomes the default messaging app for Windows 8.1, replaces the Windows 8 Messaging app at the time, and becomes software already installed on every device that comes with or enhanced to 8.1. When the company introduced Office 2013 on February 27, 2013, it was announced that 60 minutes of Skype per month would be included in the Office 365 consumer package (Home and Personal, and University).
In addition, Microsoft stopped two of its own products for the sake of Skype: In a one-month transition period from 8 to 30 April 2013, Microsoft terminated the old Instant Messaging service of Windows Live Messenger and supports Skype, even though Messenger continued mainland China. On November 11, 2014, Microsoft announced that in 2015, Lync will be replaced by Skype for Business. The latest version of this communications software combines Lync and Skype consumer software features. There are two user interfaces - organizations can redirect their users from the default Skype for Business interface to the Lync interface.
Features
Registered users of Skype are identified by a unique Skype Name and can be listed in the Skype directory. Skype allows these registered users to communicate via instant messaging and voice chats. Voice chats allow phone calls between user pairs and conference calls and use special audio codecs. Skype text chat clients enable group chats, emoticons, save chat history, and edit previous messages. Offline messages are implemented in beta 5 but deleted after several weeks without notice. Common features familiar to users of instant messaging - user profiles, online status indicators, and so on - are also included.
The Online Number , a.k.a SkypeIn, the service allows Skype users to receive calls on their computers contacted by a conventional phone subscriber to a local Skype phone number; local numbers available for Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Africa South, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Skype users can have local numbers in these countries, with calls to the numbers charged at the same rate as calls to fixed line in the country. The countries on this list are referred collectively as the SkypeIn Country.
Skype supports conference calling, video chats, and screen sharing between 25 people at once for free.
Skype does not provide the ability to call emergency numbers, such as 112 in Europe, 911 in North America, or 100 in India and Nepal. However, in December 2012, there is limited support for emergency calls in the UK, Australia, Denmark and Finland. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ruled that, for the purposes of section 255 of the Telecommunications Act, Skype is not an "interconnected VoIP provider". As a result, the US National Emergency Number Association recommends that all VoIP users have analog channels available as backup.
On July 14, 2011, Skype partnered with Comcast to deliver its video chat service to Comcast subscribers via an HDTV set.
On June 17, 2013, Skype released a free video messaging service, which can be operated on Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android and BlackBerry.
On August 12, 2013, Skype released update 4.10 for apps for Apple iPhone and iPad that allow HD quality video for iPhone 5 and fourth generation iPads.
On November 20, 2014, the Microsoft Office team announced that new chats supported by Skype would be implemented in their software, providing tools to chat with co-workers in the same document.
On September 15, 2015, Skype announced the Mojis release, "a new way to express yourself on Skype." Mojis is a short/gif clip featuring characters from movies and TV shows to put in conversations with the same ease as emoticons. They work with Universal Studios, Disney Muppets, BBC and other studios to add to the Mojis collection available.
On December 21, 2015, Gurdeep Singh Pall, Vice President of Skype Company, announced that Microsoft acquired the technology from Talko, "an innovative mobile application developer for on-the-go business communications (...) Together, new technologies and talents will help us deliver great features and new capabilities on Skype and Skype for Business. "
In January 2016, Skype announced it would launch free group video calls to users on mobile devices, including iOS and Android. In February 2016, Microsoft announced that it had begun introducing group calls on smartphones and tablets in North America and Western Europe.
In July 2016, Skype introduced an early Alpha version of the Skype client for the new Linux, built with WebRTC technology, after several petitions asking Microsoft to continue development for Linux.
On September 30, 2016, Skype updated their iOS app with new features, including an option to call contacts on Skype via Siri voice commands.
On October 27, 2016 Microsoft launched Skype for Business for Mac.
In February 2017, Microsoft announced plans to stop the Skype Wi-Fi service globally. This app is removed, and its service itself is not working from March 31, 2017.
On June 5, 2017, Microsoft announced plans to convert Skype with similar features to Snapchat, allowing users to share temporary copies of their photos and video files.
At the end of June 2017, Microsoft released the latest updates for iOS, incorporating revamped design and new third-party integration, with platforms including Gfycat, YouTube and UpWorthy. It was not well received, with many "1 star" reviews and complaints that the new client was ruining the existing functionality.
In December 2017, Microsoft added "Skype Interview", a code-editing system shared for those who wanted to run a job interview for a programming role.
Usage and traffic
In January 2011, after the launch of a video call on Skype client for iPhone, Skype reached a record 27 million online users simultaneously. The record was broken with 29 million simultaneous online users on February 21, 2011 and again on March 28, 2011 with 30 million online users. On February 25, 2012, Skype announced that it has more than 32 million users for the first time. As of March 5, 2012, it has 36 million online users simultaneously, and less than a year later, on January 21, 2013, Skype has more than 50 million concurrent online users. As of June 2012, Skype has surpassed 70 million downloads on Android devices.
On July 19, 2012, Microsoft announced that Skype users had recorded 115 billion call minutes in the quarter, up 50% since the last quarter.
On January 15, 2014, TeleGeography estimates that Skype-to-Skype international traffic has increased by 36% in 2013 to 214 billion minutes.
System and software
Client apps and devices
Windows Application
Skype has changed many times in Windows. It has been offering desktop applications only since 2003. Later, the mobile version was made for Windows Phone. In 2012, Skype introduced a new version for Windows 8 which is similar to the Windows Phone version. On July 7, 2015, Skype modified the app to direct Windows users to download the desktop version of the app, but was set to continue working on Windows RTs until October 2016. In November 2015, Skype introduced three new apps, called Messaging, Skype Video, and Phone , is intended to provide an integrated Skype experience in Windows 10. On March 24, 2016, Skype announced the integrated application did not meet most of the user's needs and announced that they and the desktop application would eventually be replaced with a new UWP application, released as a preview version for Birthday Updates Windows 10 and dubbed as a stable version with the release of Windows 10 Creator Update.
The latest version of Skype for Windows is Skype 11, which is based on the Universal Windows Platform and runs on various Windows 10 related systems, including Xbox One, Windows phones, and Microsoft Hololens. Microsoft still offers the older Skype 8, which is based on Win32 and runs on all systems from Windows XP (which is not supported by Microsoft) to the latest Windows 10 release.
By the end of 2017, this version is upgraded to Skype 12.9 where some features are removed and added.
Other desktop apps
- macOS (10.9 or later)
- Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, openSUSE, Fedora)
Other mobile devices
- iOS
- Android
- Nokia X
Skype was previously available on Symbian devices, BlackBerry OS, and BlackBerry 10 options. In May 2009, Version 3.0 was available on Windows Mobile 5 through 6.1, and in September 2015, Version 2.29 is available on Windows Phone 8.1; in 2016 Microsoft announced that it would cease to function in early 2017 after Skype's transition from peer-to-peer to client-server is complete.
Skype Phone
On October 29, 2007, Skype launched its own mobile phone with the trademark 3 Skypephone, which runs BREW OS.
Skype also offers Skype Wi-Fi Phone, which is a wireless phone that allows users to make Skype calls, using a wireless internet connection. Skype Wi-Fi Phone has an on-screen menu that allows Skype users to see who is online and available to talk, similar to what is seen on PC. It can also be used to talk to non-Skype users. SkypeOut minutes can be used to call any phone at a low price and no monthly fee. The Skype Wi-Fi phone does not contain a web browser and can not access hotspots that require login or web-based authentication.
Other platforms
- The Nokia N800, N810, and N900 Internet Tablets running Maemo
- The Nokia N9, which runs MeeGo, comes with Skype voice calls and integrated text messaging; however, has no video calls.
- Both models are Sony mylo COM-1 and COM-2
- PlayStation Portable Slim and Lite series, even though users need to purchase specially designed microphone devices. The PSP-3000 has a built-in microphone, which allows communication without Skype peripherals. PSP Go has the ability to use Bluetooth connection with Skype application, in addition to the microphone in it. Skype for the PlayStation Vita can be downloaded through the PlayStation Network in the US. This includes the ability to receive incoming calls with apps running in the background.
- Samsung Smart TV has a Skype app, which can be downloaded for free. It used camera and built-in microphone for new models. Alternatively, Skype cameras that can be installed separately with speakers and built-in microphones are available for purchase for older models. This functionality has now been disabled along with other "TV-Based" Skype clients.
- Some devices are built to work with Skype by talking to a Skype desktop client or by embedding Skype software into the device. It's usually either tethered to a PC or has a built-in Wi-Fi client to allow calls from Wi-Fi hotspots, such as Netgear SPH101 Skype Wi-Fi Phone, SMC WSKP100 Skype Wi-Fi Phone, Belkin F1PP000GN- SK Wi-Fi Skype Phone , Wi-Fi Phone Panasonic KX-WP1050 for Skype Executive Travel Set, IPEVO So-20 Wi-Fi Phone for Skype and Linksys CIT200 Wi-Fi Phone.
Third party licenses
Third-party developers, such as Truphone, Nimbuzz, and Fring, previously allowed Skype to run in parallel with several other competing VoIP/IM networks (Truphone and Nimbuzz provide TruphoneOut and NimbuzzOut as competing paid services) in any Symbian or Java environment. Nimbuzz makes Skype available to BlackBerry users and Fring provides mobile video calls via Skype as well as support for the Android platform. Skype disabled Fring users from accessing Skype in July 2010. Nimbuzz suspended support for Skype requests in October 2010.
Prior to and during the acquisition of Microsoft, Skype withdrew the licenses of some third parties that produce Skype-compatible software and hardware. Skype for Asterisk products from Digium is withdrawn because "it is no longer available for sale". Senao SN358 remote wireless phone (10-15Ã, km) terminated due to loss of license to participate in the Skype network as a partner. In combination, both of these products make it possible to make wireless mesh networks cruising with powerful handoff.
Protocol
Skype uses an exclusive Internet Telephony (VoIP) network called the Skype protocol. The protocol is not yet publicly available by Skype, and official applications that use the protocol are closed. Part of Skype's technology relies on the P2P Global Index protocol owned by the company Joltid Ltd. The main difference between Skype and standard VoIP clients is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model (originally based on Kazaa software), rather than the more common client-server model (note that the very popular Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) model VoIP is also peer-to-peer, but implementation generally requires registration with the server, as does Skype).
On June 20, 2014, Microsoft announced the termination of the old Skype protocol. Within a few months from this date, to continue using Skype services, Skype users must update the Skype app released in 2014. The new Skype protocol - Microsoft Notification Protocol 24. This termination became effective by the second week of August 2014 The transferred file is now stored on the server center.
As far as network stack support is concerned, Skype only supports IPv4 protocol. Does not have support for next generation Internet protocol, IPv6.
Protocol detection and control
Many networks and security companies claim to detect and control the Skype protocol for enterprise applications and operators. While the specific detection methods used by these firms are often personal, the Pearson chi-squared test and Bayes naive classification are two approaches published in 2008. Combining the measurement of the statistics of the charge properties (such as byte frequencies and the initial byte sequence) as well as the flow properties (such as packet size and packet directions) has also proven to be an effective method for identifying TCP and UDP based Skype protocols.
Audio codec
Skype 2.x uses G.729, Skype 3.2 introduces SVOPC, and Skype 4.0 adds a Skype codec called SILK, which is meant to be "lightweight and embedded". In addition, Skype has released Opus as an open source codec, which integrates SILK codec principles for voice transmission with CELT codec principles for high quality audio transmission, such as live music performances. Opus submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in September 2010. Since then, it has been standardized as RFC 6716
Video codec
VP7 is used for versions prior to Skype 5.5.
In version 7.0, H.264 is used for group and one-on-one video chats, on standard definition, 720p, and 1080p high definition.
Skype Qik
Skype acquired Qik video services in 2011. After turning off Qik in April 2014, Skype relaunched the service as Skype Qik on October 14, 2014. Although Qik offers video conferencing and Internet streaming, the new service focuses on mobile video messaging between individuals and groups.
Security and privacy
Skype was originally claimed to be a secure communication, with one of the web pages originally stating "very secure with end-to-end encryption". The security service is invisible to the user, and encryption can not be disabled. Skype is reported using a publicly-documented encryption technique: RSA for key negotiations and Advanced Encryption Standard to encrypt conversations. However, it is not possible to verify that the algorithm is used correctly, completely, and at any time, since no public review is possible without the protocol and/or application source code specifications. Skype provides an uncontrolled registration system for users without proof of identity. Conversely, free nickname choices allow users to use the system without revealing their identity to other users. It's easy to create an account using any name; the name of the displayed caller does not guarantee authenticity. A third-party paper analyzing the security and methodology of Skype was presented at Black Hat Europe 2006. It analyzed Skype and found a number of security issues with the current security model.
Skype incorporates some features that tend to hide its traffic, but is not specifically designed to thwart traffic analysis and therefore does not provide anonymous communications. Some researchers have been able to mark traffic so that it can be identified even after passing an anonymous network.
In an interview, Kurt Sauer, Chief Security Officer of Skype, said, "We provide secure communication options, I will not tell you whether we can listen or not." This does not deny the fact that the NSA monitors Skype conversations. Skype clients use unregistered and proprietary protocols. The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is concerned about user privacy issues arising from the use of proprietary software and protocols and has made the switch to Skype one of their high priority projects. Security researchers Biondi and Desclaux have speculated that Skype may have a back door, as Skype sends traffic even when it is turned off and because Skype has taken extreme steps to obscure their app traffic and functionality. Several media sources reported that at a meeting on the "legitimate interception of IP-based services" held on June 25, 2008, unnamed high officials at the Austrian interior ministry said they could listen to Skype conversations without any problems. The Austrian public broadcasting service, ORF, quoting minutes from the meeting, reported that "Austrian police can listen to Skype connections". Skype declined to comment on the report. One convenient monitoring method is to set up two computers with the same Skype user ID and password. When a message is typed or a call is received on one computer, the second computer duplicates audio and text. This requires knowledge of the user ID and password.
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has interpreted the Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) because it requires a digital telephone network to allow wiretapping if permitted by an FBI warrant, in the same way as any other telephone service. In February 2009, Skype said that, not being a telephone company that owns a phone line, it is exempt from CALEA and similar laws, which govern US phone companies, and in fact, it is not clear whether Skype can support tapping even if it wants to. According to the ACLU, the Act is inconsistent with the original intent of the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution; recently, the ACLU has expressed concern that the FCC's interpretation of the Act is incorrect. It has been suggested that Microsoft make changes to the Skype infrastructure to alleviate the various tapping requirements; however, Skype denied the claim.
Some time before Skype was sold in 2009, the company has started its own application, called Project Chess, to explore legal and technical ways to easily share calls with intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
On 20 February 2009, the European Union's Eurojust agency announced that the Italian Desk at Eurojust would "play a key role in coordination and investigative cooperation on the use of internet telephony (VoIP) systems, such as 'Skype'... The purpose of Eurojust's coordinating role is to overcoming technical and judicial barriers to interception of internet telephone systems, taking into account various data protection and civil rights rules.
In November 2010, a vulnerability was revealed to Skype that shows how hackers can secretly track the user's IP address. By 2015, this is still not fixed.
In 2012, Skype introduced automatic updates to better protect users from security risks but received some challenges from users of Mac products, since updates can not be disabled from version 5.6 on both Mac OS and Windows versions, albeit on the latter, and only from version 5.9 enabled, automatic updates can be turned off in certain cases.
According to the 2012 article Washington Post , Skype "has expanded its cooperation with law enforcement authorities to create online chats and other user information available to police"; additional articles mention Skype making changes to allow authorities to access credit card addresses and numbers.
In November 2012, Skype reportedly submitted user data from a pro-WikiLeaks activist to Dallas, Texas-based private security firm iSIGHT Partners without warrant or court order. A handover will be a violation of Skype's privacy policy. Skype responded with a statement that it launched an internal investigation to investigate user data privacy violations.
November 13, 2012, Russian users publish a flaw in Skype's security, allowing anyone to take over a Skype account simply by knowing the victim's email by following 7 steps. This vulnerability is claimed to exist for months and exists for more than 12 hours since it is widely published.
May 14, 2013, it was documented that the URLs sent via Skype instant messaging session were captured by the Skype service and then used in HEAD HTTP requests originating from IP addresses registered to Microsoft in Redmond (the IP address used is 65.52.100.214). Microsoft requests use the full URL provided in IM conversations and are generated by previously undocumented security services. Security experts speculate that the action is triggered by a technology similar to the Microsoft SmartScreen Filter used in its browser.
The bulk of mass scrutiny in 2013 revealed that agencies such as the NSA and the FBI have the ability to eavesdrop on Skype, including monitoring and storing of text and video calls and file transfers. The PRISM surveillance program, which requires FISA court authorization, is reported to have allowed NSA unrestricted access to its data center center. According to the leaked document, the integration work began in November 2010, but it was not until February 2011 that the company was served with an order to comply signed by the attorney general, with the NSA document showing that the collection began on March 31, 2011.
On November 10, 2014, Skype scored 1 of 7 points on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's secure scorecard. Skype receives a point for encryption during transit but loses points because the communication is not encrypted with a key that the provider does not have (ie unencrypted end-to-end communication), the user can not verify the contact identity, the previous message is not secure if the encryption key is stolen (ie service does not provide for future confidentiality), the code is not open to independent reviews (ie non-open-source code), security design is not properly documented, and there has not been an independent security audit recently. AIM, BlackBerry Messenger, Ebuddy XMS, Hushmail, Kik Messenger, Viber and Yahoo Messenger also scored 1 of 7 points.
Service in People's Republic of China
Since September 2007, users in China who tried to download Skype software clients have been transferred to the TOM Online site, a joint venture between Chinese wireless carriers and Skype, which can be downloaded modified Chinese version. TOM clients participate in China's Internet censorship system, monitoring text messages between Skype users in China as well as messages exchanged with users abroad. Niklas ZennstrÃÆ'¶m, then Skype chief executive, told reporters that TOM "has implemented text filters, which others do in the market. He also stated, "One thing for sure is that these things in no way jeopardize the privacy or security of any user."
In October 2008, it was reported that TOM had stored the full message content of several Skype text conversations on its servers, apparently focusing on conversations containing political issues such as Tibet, Falun Gong, Taiwan independence and the Chinese Communist Party. Saved messages contain personally identifiable information about the sender and recipient of the message, including IP address, username, landline number, and the entire text message, including the time and date of each message. Information about Skype users outside of China communicating with TOM-Skype users is also stored. Server configuration error makes this log file publicly accessible temporarily.
Research on the TOM-Skype business has revealed information about blacklisted keyword checking, which allows censorship and monitoring of its users. The Partnership has received much criticism for the latter. Microsoft remains unavailable to comment on this issue.
According to reports from the Great Fire advocacy group, Microsoft has modified sensor restrictions and ensures encryption of all user information. Furthermore, Microsoft is now partnering with Guangming Founder (GMF) in China.
All attempts to visit the official Skype webpage from mainland China redirect to skype.gmw.cn. Skype Linux version is not available.
Localization
Skype comes with the following local languages ​​and languages: Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Nepal, Norway, Poland, Portugal (Brazil and Europe), Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thai, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam.
Because the Windows desktop app offers users the option to create new language files, at least 80 other localizations (complete or partial) are also available for many languages.
URI
Skype uses URI as skype: USER? Call for calls.
Customer service
In February 2012, Skype provides support through their web support portal, support community, @skypesupport on Twitter, and Skype Facebook page. Live contact via email and live chat is available through their web support portal. Chat Support is a premium feature available for Skype Premium and some other paid users.
In January 2010, Skype canceled their policy to withdraw funds in an inactive Skype account (without a paid call) for 180 days. This is a class action lawsuit settlement. Skype also pays up to US $ 4 to the people who participated in the action.
The Skype refund policy states that they will provide a full refund if the customer has used less than 1 euro of their Skype Credit. "Upon request submitted, Skype will return you on a pro rata basis for unused Product period".
Skype has been criticized by users for the inability to close the account completely. Users who do not want to continue using Skype can make their account inactive by removing all personal information, except for usernames.
Due to the blackouts that occurred on September 21, 2015, which affected several users in New Zealand, Australia and other countries, Skype decided to compensate their customers with 20 free calls to over 60 home phones and 8 mobile numbers.
Education usage
Although Skype is a commercial product, the free version is used with increasing frequency among teachers and schools interested in global education projects. For example, Skype is used to facilitate language exchange: Students in different parts of the world are paired, and each is a native speaker of the language that the other wants to learn. In conversations over Skype, they alternate between two languages.
Teachers use Skype in a unique way to meet educational goals. The video conferencing aspect of this software is valuable as it provides a way to connect students who speak different languages, organize virtual field trips, and reach out to experts in various fields of study. These experiences allow students to have the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life experiences, and it also achieves further learning opportunities.
Skype in the class is another free tool Skype has prepared on its website. It provides teachers with how to make their classrooms more interactive and engaging. Skype in the classroom is a service that teachers can enroll to allow students to meet other students, talk to experts, and share ideas. Teachers can collaborate with other teachers around the world and design different learning experiences for their students. There are various Skype lessons, in which students can participate. Teachers can also use the Skype search tool and find experts in their chosen field. Most schools in the United States and Europe often block Skype from school networks to students and hence students leave no choice but to unblock through various VPNs and proxies.
Nonprofit paper planes use Skype to teach English to Syrian students. In 2017, 320 pairs of students meet once a week using Skype as a platform for communication.
See also
- List of virtual communities with over 100 million active users
- Caller ID spoofing
- Instant messaging client comparisons
- Instant message protocol comparison
- Comparison of VoIP software
- Mobile VoIP
- Attendance information
- Unified communications
- List of video telecommunication services and product brands
References
Further reading
- Rushe, Dominic. "Skype's secret Chess Project is reported to help NSAs access customer data." The Guardian . June 20, 2013.
- Latest Products. "Skype Unveils Free Video Messaging"
- "New skype registration process"
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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