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Skype has long offered video call capabilities for more than two users on Mac (and PC) — but only when at least one had a paid Premium subscription plan in effect. Now, the company has eased that restriction, making group calling available free as of today to all computer users, along with those on Xbox One.
And iOS users may be next to be added to that list. Skype’s blog post on the matter promises that “in the future, we’ll be enabling group video calling for all our users across more platforms — at no cost,” writes Phillip Snalune, general manager of consumer product marketing at Skype.
As of now, Skype users on mobile devices are able to join group chats, but not begin any themselves. It’ll be interesting to see if today’s news signals a move to make group chat fully usable on iPhone and iPad. In addition to group video calling, group screen sharing is also free on Mac, adding another helpful wrinkle to the basic Skype experience.
Now that both Google Hangouts and Skype offer free group video chats, we’re really curious to see how Apple reacts with FaceTime. Group chat is still lacking from the iOS and Mac service, but we can’t imagine that Apple will rest on that point for long with Skype hinting at mobile enhancements.
