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Skype for Mac gets mobile-style makeover & more Slack-like, with notifications, mentions, and more

Microsoft appears to be aiming to make Skype text chats closer to those offered by the likes of Slack and Hipchat – as well as bringing the desktop feature set in line with the mobile app. The new features were first previewed back in August …

The latest update to Skype for Mac, rolling out from today, brings features like notifications and mentions.

The next generation of Skype for mobile improved the way you connect with your contacts and added expanded capabilities such as personalized themes, chat list, and @mentions to the Skype experience. The Skype desktop app—now out of preview and rolling out today—brings all these exciting new improvements and features to your desktop.

There are more options for sorting your contact list, including pinning people and groups.

Organize your contact list by time, unread, or status. Pin people or groups to have them always close at hand. To see more on your screen, change your view from standard to compact, or collapse the chat list to focus more on your content.

You can @ people to draw their attention, and get notifications for mentions and replies.

Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you’ve missed by clicking the bell icon to access your notification panel. From this central place, you’ll see reactions to your messages, @mentions in group conversations, or if someone quoted you. Jump to the conversation by clicking the message in the notification panel.

Status updates are back, and there are also a range of bot integrations for services like Scoop and Hipmunk.

If you have automatic updates switched on, you should see the new features in the next few days, or you can manually download the latest version from the Skype download center.


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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