Zoom is all the rage these days for video calls. And in contrast Skype is, well, old school, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So why would I suggest you take another look at Skype (and perhaps pass on Zoom)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from the security issues recently discovered in Zoom,\nI suggest two main reasons for taking a fresh look at Skype:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, Skype recently introduced a totally new way to use\nSkype, one that I think changes everything: it\u2019s called Skype Meet Now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, Skype has long had a feature that I am just now\nbeginning to appreciate: cross ecosystem texting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s start with Skype Meet Now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Skype Meet Now<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This feature has been out for a few months but is just now\ngetting the press it deserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Skype Meet Now enables you to create a Skype meeting on the\nfly, very similar to how Zoom and Go To Meeting work, but even easier. You open\nit in a browser window (Edge or Chrome only), create a meeting with one click,\nand you are given a link you can send to anyone. Link recipients can use it whether\nthey have a Skype app or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Amazingly, you don\u2019t even need a Skype account to use it, (and\nagain, no need to install a Skype app). And even if you do<\/em> have a Skype\naccount, you don\u2019t have to use the (harder) tools that you normally use in the Skype\napp to create meetings. It really is as easy as one-click on a simple web page to\ncreate the meeting. Again, you don\u2019t even need to log in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It used to be hard to set up meetings in Skype, now it is\nsuper easy, easier than any of the competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cost? It\u2019s Free<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, Skype Meet Now is free for basic usage, and the\ntime limits on such meetings, compared to a free Zoom account, are much more\ngenerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Given all the security concerns in recent weeks about Zoom,\nI\u2019d say the arrival of this feature from Skype is very timely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are few articles about Skype Meet Now that will give\nyou more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/host-a-quick-meeting-with-skypes-meet-now-no-login-nee-1842706796<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/article\/zoom-vs-skype-microsoft-pushes-its-meet-now-feature-for-hassle-free-video-calls\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Skype has good cross-ecosystem texting that I came back to\nrecently. But some background first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you own both an iPhone and an Android Phone, and you want\nto see and send texts from either device with the same account<\/em>, it\u2019s\nhard to do. Your Android phone\u2019s SMS app won\u2019t work with the same account on an\niPhone (and visa versa), because it\u2019s tied to the unique phone number on each\nphone. WhatsApp won\u2019t work either\u2014it too is tied to your device\u2019s phone number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most other phone texting methods also prevent using both an\niPhone and an Android on the same account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can be a problem. I don\u2019t want my friends to be\nrequired to text to both numbers to try to reach me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some Choices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, what I wanted is one messaging account on both phones\nthat will show the same messages on both phones, with one login. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And key to this is that I want to get an alert for new\nmessages on either phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The alert issue is the problem with WhatsApp<\/strong>. While\nyou can run WhatsApp in a web on another phone, the web version provides no lock-screen\nalerts on the phone, which is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could use Teams or Slacker<\/strong> across platforms, but\nthat was way overkill for what I needed and more business oriented. My texting\nis 95% personal texting, and most of my friends don\u2019t have or want to use\neither of those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook Messenger<\/strong> came to mind since it should work\nwell across ecosystems and since so many people use Facebook. And it does provide\nalerts. But frankly, I just don\u2019t like Facebook, so I didn\u2019t even test it. However,\nfor many of you, Facebook Messenger might be a good solution (let me know in\ncomments below how it works for you across ecosystems).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Hangouts<\/strong> came to mind too. It has a similar cross\necosystem texting ability as these others. But as I studied its features, it\nwas clear it had far fewer texting bells and whistles than Skype had. Plus, far\nmore of my friends had Skype already installed across various platforms\ncompared to those who had Hangouts (which was mostly Android users).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to Skype<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, it\u2019s that process of elimination that led me back to Skype<\/strong>\nas my personal cross-ecosystem texting solution. Many of my friends already had\nit installed and knew how to use it. It has a ton of features. Also, I am using\nit again for video meetings (per earlier part of this article). And as an added\nbonus, I can use Skype desktop to text from my PC and Mac, too. And of course,\nall texts on all platforms get duplicated across all the Skype apps. I can pick\nup a conversation from any of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, I\u2019ve told my friends to expect my texts on Skype from\nnow on, and they now know that it is what they should use to reach me. It is\nworking well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I admit, this is a really old problem with lots of old solutions.\nAnd I admit, I am late to the game, being stuck in the iOS iMessage world for\nso long. So, I bet you have your own preferences and apps to solve the same\nproblem. Why don\u2019t you describe them in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zoom is all the rage these days for video calls. And in contrast Skype is, well, old school, right? So why would I suggest you take another look at Skype (and perhaps pass on Zoom)? Aside from the security issues … Continue reading Second Reason I Have\nReconsidered Skype: Cross-Ecosystem Texting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n