Skype for Mac

In the words of Ron Burgundy - I don't know how to put this but this version of Skype is kind of a big deal. This latest release is all about those features you may not see, but make a big difference to how you use Skype on your Mac.

We've made Skype for Mac smarter in the manner it "just works" as it now supports NAT-PMP and uPnP which means Skype can now 'talk' to your internet connection in order to get the best connection, and thus give you the best Skype experience. The other major change we've made is something I've been looking forward to - it's for all our friends out there in colleges and dorms the world over or for those of you that must enter a username and password to use the Internet on your Mac. With this version Skype "just works" as it supports "Authenticated Proxies" - so if Safari works for you, so should Skype.

Thanks again for your constant feedback, bug reports and support - it's meant we've been able to fix a bunch of bugs and updated our non-English versions of Skype for Mac. If you wish to read the full technical release notes, check them out over at developer.skype.com.

So please go and download it now, and remember - stay classy.

Ok, I'll admit - I really this version. Today we released Skype 2.7 for Mac, and it has just the kind of features that us, Mac users, love. In our last version, we made Skype sound better, and in Skype 2.7 we've made it look better. We've enabled improved video quality on all the current Mac desktops or laptops. We've also introduced a feature you've all been asking for: contact grouping. With this version you will now be able to group your friends and family so you can keep an eye on those you care about.

Not only have we made it look good, but we've introduced my favourite feature of Skype for Mac after video: address book integration. This feature will save you loads of time -- you can now see someone who is in your address book from within Skype's contact list and be able to call them directly. And don't worry, these numbers are not sent to anyone or stored on any Skype servers. We're only displaying those that exist on your own computer.

We've made it better and easier to use. We've streamlined the way you send and receive files so they are all grouped within the new file transfer manager, we've introduced the ability to automatically redial busy numbers (so now you can get through to those pesky radio competition hotlines), and made it easier to change your volume and audio settings whilst you're in a call.

We haven't forgotten about the quality of Skype for Mac either -- we've fixed a whole load of bugs, Skype for Mac is now available in русский язык (Russian), Čeština (Czech) or Norsk (Norwegian Bokmål) - thanks to Igor, Lukáš and Kenneth.

Best of all, Leopard users will purr since its ready for Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.

Download the new Skype for Mac and let us know what you think of it by commenting this post or forums.

Earlier this month, we promised an update to Skype for Mac that would get along beautifully with Leopard's firewall. Today's hotfix to Skype 2.7 for Mac beta does just that. In other words, users of Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) are welcome to run Skype with confidence.

The second thing that we believe will bring smiles to a lot of folks is this: today's beta version of Skype 2.7 for Mac adds attractive pixel muscle to your video calls. That's because we've now turned on 640x480-pixel video by default.

So, as long as your webcam can handle this resolution, your friends should see the bigger-and-improved you on their screens. At a better frame rate, too -- we've been squeezing up to 25 fps out of our systems.

Now, because sending out higher-resolution video needs a faster processor and a fatter internet pipe, you'll benefit greatly from having a fast machine (think Core 2 Duo) and a broadband connection with at least 384kbps upload speeds.

If the receiver is using a pre-2.7 version of Skype for Mac, or if their machine cannot handle 640x480 video resolution (like G4 or G5 Macs that are slower than 1.25 GHz), the sender's Skype software will scale the video feed down to 320x240 pixels (or even 160x120, if needed).

Please remember we're dealing with beta software here. So you may encounter the occasional quirk and hiccup as you're using it. If you'd rather stick with public versions Skype that have a lot of beta wrinkles ironed out, we've just issued a Leopard-friendly hotfix to the public version of Skype 2.6 for Mac. Enjoy!

Like a lot of people in the Mac community, we're excited that Mac OS X Leopard is now out in the wild. As you may have read, Skype runs into trouble when Leopard's firewall is activated. At the moment, this affects a minority of Skype users.

However, we wanted to let you know that we're embracing Apple's new security efforts. By doing so, we're continuing to ensure that Skype for Mac is the most secure internet-calling platform a Mac user can get. Our engineers are tweaking Skype for Mac and as soon as safely possible, the issue will be resolved.

In a few weeks, the fix will be included in an updated version of Skype that has a loving relationship with the Leopard firewall.

We thought you’d like to know that we’ve released Skype 2.7 for Mac beta. You are very welcome to download and start playing with it.

Now you can organise your contacts into as many groups as you need. While there are some pre-defined groups (like Online, Recently Contacted, Address Book Contacts), you’re free to add new ones that suit your life. This is very useful to those who are very popular and have a contact list with hundreds of people. Explore this feature under the cogwheel icon on the main screen and selecting 'Show Contact Groups'. See the user guide.

Here's what else is new:

* See your Apple Address Book contacts in Skype - easily call or SMS anyone who has a phone number in their address-book profile. When sending a SMS, just make sure the number you're sending to can receive SMS.
* Create and manage public chats by clicking on Chats in the menu bar and choosing Start Public Chat. A public-chat assistant will walk you through the necessary steps.
* Auto Redial for busy or unconnected calls. When your call hits the busy signal, Skype will give you the option of automatic redial every two minutes until the call goes through. This setting can also be adjusted in Skype > Preferences > Calls.
* Easy sound controls – when you need to tweak the sound level during a call, use a simple slider in the call window, or change your device by clicking this icon.
* Overhauled file transfer – wearing a more fashionable jacket, file-transfer now looks elegant and acts even nicer, especially when receiving many files at once

Oh, and one last thing: if the default language on your Mac is Czech or Norwegian, Skype 2.7 Mac beta will automatically follow suit.

As some of you might now Skypecasts didn't work on Macs for a while due to a tricky bug that came about when we upgraded the architecture behind these public conversations. We're very sorry for any inconvenience this caused and are happy to announce they are back now, leaner and meaner than ever before. We hope you enjoy the improved sound quality that this upgrade brought you. Browse the Skypecasts directory and see (or hear) for yourself.

We have yet another first on Skype for Mac feature to announce. Or actually it is the same new feature out first on Skype for Mac for the second time. Now Skype Pro subscribers can transfer SkypeIn calls and transfer calls to SkypeOut contacts. It works just like transferring a Skype-to-Skype call on Skype 2.6 for Mac.

Read more about Skype Pro.

Thanks everyone for the feeback on last week’s post. We noticed many of you pointed out that some Bluetooth headsets stopped working with last weeks 2.6 for Mac release. I just wanted to let you all know this is fixed now. Download the updated version or wait for the brand new auto-update to kick in if you are already on 2.6.

Skype 2.6 for Mac is now available for download.

You’ve written many blog comments, forum postings and support tickets, all asking what we were going to do about the echo when making calls with built-in microphone and speakers. May the brand new Skype 2.6 for Mac that we put out today answer your question. We’ve significantly improved echo cancellation in calls and overall call quality should also be better than ever before, with or without a headset.

We have also been very serious about fixing bugs and annoyances you’ve pointed out. For example, you can now edit the phone numbers of your SkypeOut contacts and Skype recognizes the timezone change of your computer for chat. Take a look at the release notes for the full list of fixed bugs.

But wait, there's more! Not only have we spent time on improving quality, but we have also managed to squeeze in brand new features. We’re especially proud of call transfer which was launched on Macs first. We hope you like transferring your ongoing calls to people in your contact list and other new features introduced with Skype for Mac 2.6:

• Join public chats.
• See when others are typing with typing indicators. (See that busy pen on the screenshot?)
• Call Skype Prime services to learn new skills or have fun.

Today we released Skype 2.6 for Mac Beta. Although our main focus was on quality, we've also added a few new features. One of them so new it’s released first on Mac and only later on other platforms.

Visually Skype 2.6 for Mac hasn't changed a great deal. This is because you, our users, have been asking for better quality rather than more bells and whistles. So we did just that - we’ve ironed out tons of bugs. We understand that even the small things like handling birthday reminders or other notifications are very important for Mac users so we spent a lot of time streamlining the small stuff.

While our focus was on quality, we still managed to pack some new features that you won't immediately see. For the first time in the history of Skype you can now transfer an ongoing call to another Skype user. Simply click on “More” in the call window of an incoming call and select the Skype contact you want to pass the call on to. Note that caller has to use the new version of Skype for Mac or a recent version (3.0 or up) of Skype for Windows for call transfer to work.

We also added some features that were already available on our Windows versions, but not yet for Macs. Now you can :

• See when others are writing a message with typing indicator
• Join public chats
• Call any Skype Prime premium services provider and seamlessly pay with your Skype credit
• Use DTMF tones during Skype-to-Skype calls

Last but not least – the new Skype for Mac prompts you when new versions become available and auto-updates itself if you so decide.

Download Skype 2.6 for Mac Beta now (scroll down) and let us know what you think of it by adding comments below.

For those that are a little more technical, please check our the Skype for Mac Developer Site where it contains Release Notes and details on how to submit Bug Reports if you so wish. Also, please don't forget about the Skype for Mac forums

If you haven't yet downloaded the newest version of Skype for Mac, take a deep breath and then download it now. Since Beta we've fixed many bugs and made it easier to use. You can now send SMS' straight from the History menu or see when your voicemail subscription expires in the "My Account" area. There are numerous other improvements that happened behind the scenes but make using Skype for Mac more pleasant than ever before.

Make a Video call in this version, and you will notice we have introduced a new video codec that significantly improves the quality of video calling. Power users can take this one step further, tweaking some settings. See Skype Garage for more if you're brave. (Requires changing some settings to Skype's xml files to give you near HD quality Video calls)

We've even added a nifty little birthday reminder feature, to help you impress your Skype contacts (and secure an invitation to the ). We have also introduced clickable mood messages and a few new emoticons. Download and enjoy.

See the brand new birthday reminder in action below:

You can find the release notes on developer.skype.com

While we are working on next Skype for Mac releases I'm starting this series of blog posts that helps to get the most out from the current version. The topic today - how to copy a phone number from History or send an SMS message to such number.

The simplest way to do either is to choose "View info" of the number with Command-I or Control-click and choose "View profile". From the view that pops open you can easily copy the number or click Send SMS.

Please comment whether this was helpful or not and let me know what topics you'd like to see covered in the future.

Updated 3.49 PM GMT. I just learned that there are more than two paths leading so sending SMS messages from History. If your default action for double-click is 'Start a chat' (Skype>Preferences>General) then by far the easiest is to double-click the phone number - SMS menu opens like magic . Alternatively you can click on missed events, then 'Show history' and see a 'Send SMS' icon next to any number you have highlighted

We’re proud to announce that we’ve just released a new version of Skype for Mac. We’ve worked hard to bring even more features to you and we hope you’re going to like them.

Download it now

You can now send SMS messages directly from Skype which means that you can always contact friends or family who aren’t online cheaply wherever they are - all you need is some Skype credit and your contacts mobile number and you are ready to go.

We’ve also increased the number of people you can conference call. Now you can talk with up to 9 people at once whether they are Skype or SkypeOut contacts – now there’s no excuse for not letting everyone know what you are up to, all in one go.

We’ve also made it easier to change your audio device settings for different activities within Skype using drop down selections. Hear incoming calls ring through your speakers so even if you’re not at your computer you can still hear your friend calling, then set outgoing calls to be made through your headset.

Download it now and let us know what you think of it by adding comments to this blogpost.

For those that are a little more technical, please check our the Skype for Mac Developer Site where it contains details on how to submit Bug Reports if you so wish.

Skype for Mac 2.0 goes gold today, which means that we’ve tested it, you’ve tested it and we all agree that it does a pretty good job. Download it now and video call your friends, family, colleagues or anyone else you’d like to see face to face. Remember not only does it work with other Mac users but it also works with Windows users too. That means even more people for you to video call with.

We’ve improved the video quality and made changes so that video calling can now work on older systems allowing more of our Mac community can use it.

Thanks for all your feedback and help to improve the quality of video throughout the beta. A lot of you have sent in your stories on how you’re using Mac 2.0 to get face to face with far flung friends and relatives and we’re delighted we can help to bring you all closer together. Many of you also told us that you’re using video calls with business colleagues across the globe or to see your family back home when you’re away with work. If you have any more stories you’d like to share with us please email them to stories@skype.net.

Download Skype 2.0 for Mac here and let us know what you think.

If you happen to be one of the many Skype for Mac users who like to group all their chats into a single window, this might be a helpful tip for you: Skype's chat drawer allows re-arranging your chats simply by dragging and dropping them around. If you want to change the order of chats (take the less active ones to the bottom of the list, for example), simply grab the chat or Contact and drag them where you like.

To start a new chat with someone, all you have to do, is drag them from Contact List window to a chat drawer – it opens a new chat and you can start typing. For sending a file, simply drag a file to any 1:1 chat or chat with multiple Contacts in the drawer. Releasing a mouse button will then start the transfer.

We’ve launched not just one but two new versions of Skype for Mac, so you get to choose between Mac 1.5 Gold or Mac 2.0 with Video Beta. To celebrate we're offering every Mac user 10 minutes of SkypeOut free to call ordinary phones. So now you can call your friends and family who are still using ordinary phones and convince them to start using Skype.

You can learn more about SkypeOut here and don’t forget to claim your 10 free minutes of SkypeOut.

Update: This Skype Gift Day will run from 8am GMT 20th September until 8pm GMT 21st September and is open to all users who have recently downloaded Skype for Mac.

Download Skype for Mac 1.5 Gold now.

Thank you to all of you who downloaded it during beta and helped us to test and improve all of the new features we’ve added.

We’ve got some great new features in this release, but the most visible is definitely the entirely new interface designed especially for Mac to be faster and easier to use, with exclusive Mac-only features like a detachable call window and resizable chat drawer.

We’ve made it easier for you to call traditional phones with the SkypeOut easy dialer which means you never again have to remember a country code. You can also call your existing contacts more simply by importing contacts from Apple’s Address Book or Microsoft Entourage and calling them directly with SkypeOut. Finding contacts has never been easier either with Quickfilter - all you need to do is start typing the first few letters in a contact’s name to see all the contacts that match your search immediately.

Get Skype for Mac 1.5 Gold here and don’t forget to tell us what you like (or don’t like) about Skype for Mac 1.5 in our survey

You’ve been asking for it, and the whole Mac team has been working on it for a very long time. Finally it’s here.

Skype for Mac 2.0 Beta. Now with free video calling.

Now you can make free one-to-one video calls to all your Mac buddies as well as all your Windows loving friends. Download it now and call those far flung relatives and long forgotten friends for a real face to face catch-up.

You can see the video in the Skype window or even full screen. Even if only one party on the call has a webcam, the video is still shown to the other party. And if you both have a camera, you get a great picture-in-picture effect. You can even see how you look to the other party in a small side window, always handy to make sure your mascara hasn’t run and your toupee is still in place.

Download the Skype Video profile picture to let everyone know that Skype Video for Mac has arrived so they can call you and see your smiling face.

Get the new Skype for Mac 2.0 beta here and tell us what you think.

It's been a while since we announced the Video Preview of Skype for Mac and we're all very curious in the Mac team to find out more about how you're using it. Who do you video call with? Has it helped you to keep love alive across the miles? Or to re-connect with long lost family? Are you making new friends in new far flung places? Tell us more, we're dying to hear all about it. Please send us all of your Mac video stories.

If you're not using the Video preview yet download it now

Living and working in London, I thought it'd be worthwhile to check out the local mac 'scene', so I looked up the London Mac Users Group (LMUG). Now I've been to meetings like these before - 2600 Sydney, London but this the first time I've been to one specifically about a particular product - Mac.

It was good to see everyone so keen about Mac and Mac related products, and when they found out I worked for Skype they were keen to get me to lead a Special Interest Group (SIG) on Skype for Mac. I fielded plenty of questions about Skype for Mac and Skype in general - ranging from "What is Skype?" to fairly technical discussions about the workings of Skype.

Outside the SIG I ran, they discussed annoucements in the Mac space, and ran an open discussion for people with general Mac questions which was quite helpful for those who weren't overly technically versed. So if you're in London and interested in some of the sessions they run, check out the LMUG, they are a good (non profit) bunch. As far as I know they run on the second monday of every month and charge £3 for non-members. There was also a raffle for a wireless Mighty Mouse, which I didn't win

Thanks to everyone who has given us feedback on Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta in the forums and also here in the blog comments. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the new features and get your input on how you’d like to see Skype for Mac improve in the future.

To help us improve the new features we’ve added and dream up new ones for the future please register for our survey now.

So you can see we've been working hard to bring you all a great new version of Skype for Mac. But we want to make it better for you, and to help us to do so we are looking for more great people to work in the Mac team.

We've made a posting on our Job site and the specific job details can be found here. So if you're a hotshot Objective C/Cocoa coder and willing to relocate to Tallinn, we would love to hear from you!

If you're planning on attending WWDC this year you can always chat to one of our current developers - Janno Teelem, who will be attending this year about what it's like working for such a great company. Keep an eye out for him.

One of the most important changes in the chat window in freshly redesigned Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta is the lighter, more legible and better optimized Skype Modern Chat Style which you can turn on from Skype » Preferences » Chat panel. But besides the chat style, we added a few neat tricks for sending files that will help you be faster when chatting over Skype.

First, the drag-n-drop that you might already know about. Like in version 1.4, you can drop files into chat input or content area both in 1:1 chats and chats with several contacts. This will initiate file transfer to your chat contact (or multiple contacts). Drag-and-drop also works in chat drawer, you can drop files onto single contact or a chat title to initiate file transfer.

Second, you can now initiate a file transfer while in a chat (single transfer when in 1:1, multiple ones when in a chat with several contacts) by pressing keyboard combination Command-Shift-F. This will open a dialog that allows you to locate a file, select it and then send to the contact(s) you are chatting with.

But there's even a simpler, faster way to initiate a file transfer for the true pros in Skype chat. If you are browsing around in Finder and locate the file you want to send to your contact(s), simply use Command-C to copy it. Then switch to Skype chat window and simply use Command-V to paste the file. This will start the file transfer(s) right way. Simple, isn't it?

The long wait is over and Skype for Mac 1.5 Beta is finally here. We've put a lot of effort into it, so get it and give it a try. But before you do that, let me give you a quick overview of how (and why) Skype for Mac has evolved and changed.

Continue reading "New face of Skype for Mac" »

The new version of Skype for Mac is finally here. Go get Skype for Mac 1.5 beta. We’ve introduced some great new things you can do, brushing up the looks and added new language support for French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch users, with the help of our loyal Mac community. Thanks to everyone who contributed see the credits in the CHANGELOG

The first thing you’ll notice with this new release is the fresh new interface especially for Mac to be faster and easier to use, with exclusive Mac-only features like a detachable call window and resizable chat drawer.

We’ve also made it easier for Mac users to call traditional phones with the SkypeOut easy dialer which means you never again have to remember a country code. Just select the country, enter the local number and hit the Call button. Plus you can now call your existing contacts easily by importing contacts from Apple’s Address Book or Microsoft Entourage and calling them directly with SkypeOut. Finding contacts has never been easier either with Quickfilter - all you need to do is start typing the first few letters in a contact’s name to see all the contacts that match your search immediately.

We’ll be posting more details soon on all of the new features. Download Skype for Mac 1.5 beta here, or if you're feeling brave - you can try out our Video Preview. But please, let us know what you think.

Finally Video has arrived on Skype for Mac! The video preview of Skype for Mac was released today. Download the video preview now. We know that you've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting... so we’ve decided to release video early as a preview version.

Now Mac users can make free video calls to anyone else on Skype, no matter where they are in the world, or what kind of computer they’re on, Windows or Mac. So you can see your loved ones when you can’t be together, ask your fashionista friend for advice on your latest outfit or pull funny faces to make a friend smile when they’re having a bad day.

Skype for Mac with Video is currently a preview version. ‘Preview’ means that we’re still working on it and have only tested it under specific conditions, therefore we can’t guarantee the quality users on different hardware or operating systems will experience. The full systems requirements for video and suggested webcams can be found on the download page and the known issues with this video preview are listed here.

The Video Preview is exactly the same release as Skype for Mac 1.5 beta, except with video of course. So you can try all the other new features we’ve added for Mac users too.

Download the preview and test video so you can give us your feedback to help make the final release of Skype for Mac with Video the best it can possibly be.

If you are getting chat messages or calls from people you don’t know you may need to change your Skype privacy setting.

You can change your privacy settings in Skype to only allow calls or chats from people in your Contacts list who you have authorized.

Go to: Skype -> Preferences -> Privacy. Check the box next to the option "Only people whom I have authorized can start chat".

Then random strangers and people who are not on your contact list cannot contact you anymore.

Skype archives your chats for you and stores them locally on your computer, if you have enabled this option. Chat histories are not stored anywhere on the Skype network. In other words, no one else will ever be able to see any of your chat histories except you and the person you are chatting with. Chats are archived as a convenience to you, so that you can easily keep track of your chat conversations on Skype, think of it as sent mail for Skype.

To enable or disable this option go to: Skype -> Preferences -> Chat and select your choice of chat history settings.

To view archived chat sessions for specific contact, select the contact from your Contacts List and go to: Contacts -> View Chat History. A browser window will open showing your previous chat sessions with the selected contact.

You can clear your chat history by selecting “Delete All Chat Messages” under the “Chat” menu.

Please note that calls are not archived and therefore won’t be shown in chat history.

How do I backup my chat history?

Skype archives your chats locally on your computer, if you have enabled this option. If you want to backup your chat history or move it to another computer you can find it in a folder with the same name as your Skype Name in “username/Library/Skype”

Now that you’ve created lots of group chats you may find that you can’t respond to every message that’s posted in the chat. We’ve made it easy to turn off the volume on chats by disabling alerts.

If you don’t want to get an alert when there is some activity in a chat session you can turn off all alerts for this chat session by typing ”/alertsoff” in the text box and hit enter. You can also try the "/alertson sometext" command in the chat window. It's useful sometimes to set "/alertson yourname" so you’re only alerted to messages in the chat when someone mentions you by name.

No-one else will see this message so they won’t know that you have turned off alerts. For a full list of text commands enter ”/help” in the text box.

With Skype you can chat with up to 100 people in a group chat.
1. Select the participants you would like to invite from your Contacts List by holding the Shift key and clicking each contact.
2. Once you have selected the participants, simply click the chat toolbar button.
3. A chat window will open with all of the participants.

If you are already in a chat and would like to add additional participants to the chat simply click the ‘Add’ button in the chat window, and choose the contacts you would like to add.

Bookmark chats

This is a really useful way to keep an open forum for any ongoing conversations you have or any projects you’re working on. And it’s quicker and simpler than emailing. In the chat window click the blue pin in the top right-hand corner to bookmark the chat for future access.

Now you can find the chat using the Chat -> Bookmarked Chats menu option. You can remove a chat from your bookmarked chats, by clicking the blue pin again.

You can also bookmark a chat by going to: Chat -> Set Bookmark.

Set a topic

To keep track of bookmarked chats and group chats you can set a topic for the chat session. To set a topic, choose ”Set Topic…” from the ”Chat” menu and then enter your topic for the chat. The chat topic will be visible for all members of the chat.