Skype for Windows 10 released to mobile testers

Microsoft has released a new universal Skype app to Windows 10 Mobile testers. The new app will eventually span across Windows phones, tablets and PCs.

The Messaging Skype Beta app seeks to integrate the Microsoft-owned VoIP service into other key phone features. For example, Skype and SMS messages are integrated into a single “Conversations” feed; phone and Skype call histories are merged; and Skype phone/video calls appear as an option when scanning list of phone contacts. ” With Skype built in, you’ll be able to reach anyone who uses Skype on iPhones, Androids, even PCs with just a couple of clicks,” reads the description on the Messaging Skype Beta app page.

Microsoft announced earlier this year that it was retiring the Windows Store version of Skype, which this new app is presumably designed to replace. Microsoft will continue to offer a separate desktop Skype application, potentially causing continued confusion for tablet and PC owners. 

Microsoft released the latest build of Windows 10 Mobile around three weeks ago, but it’s still riddled with bugs and stability problems. The mobile hotspot feature doesn’t work in the latest build, and apps that use background audio will crash. Microsoft also warned that “some phones with a large number of tiles pinned to the Start screen may get stuck” and require a rollback to Windows Phone 8.1.

The continued presence of such serious bugs have thrown doubt over Microsoft’s plans to release the mobile version of Windows 10 before the end of the year, with speculation that the full launch may now slip into 2016.