Microsoft has released a new version (2.16) of its Skype app for Windows Phone 8. The update is significant in that it does away with logging into the app just with a Skype username and instead requires a Microsoft Account exclusively.
The company has been trying to move away from the old Skype username system for a while now, but until today Windows Phone 8 owners had a choice of using their Skype or Microsoft Account login. In a blog post today, the Skype team says that new Windows Phone users can simply access the Skype app with the same Microsoft Account info they registered when they got their device.
Current phone owners who have used their Skype login before today will now be prompted to sign into the app with their Microsoft Account email address and password first before typing in their old Skype name and password; this one time step will link both accounts together.
Besides the signup changes, version 2.16 of Skype for Windows Phone 8 finally lets users know if someone is typing a chat message to them before it appears whole also making the "Mark as Read" feature easier to find in the Recents list view.
Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft
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