Microsoft Launches Skype Lite, Made for India & with Aadhaar Verification Support
At Future Decoded, happening right now in Mumbai, Microsoft has announced Skype Lite. It’s the lighter version of the popular messaging and video calling app Skype, which makes sure to consume less data, keeping in mind the country’s data challenges and internet penetration. The app is now live in the Google PlayStore and comes in 7 different languages, including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Features of Skype Lite:
- It allows verifying any Aadhaar number over a call. This is useful if you are interviewing a person and want to validate his identity.
- The installation size is only 13 MB.
- Consumes less data during video calls, messaging, and when using bots.
- It gives a clear insight into data consumption, which can be seen under the main menu.
- Settings allow you to
- Consume Less Data (turned on by default)
- Compress images when uploading images.
- Automatic Image download over WiFi
- Sign-in using Microsoft Account and Edit Profile Option.
- It comes with a dark theme, which is useful if you use the app at night.
- Like the regular Skype app, you can use it to call the regular numbers through the operator.
- It can replace your default dialer and messaging / SMS app.
- When used instead of the default messaging app, it can filter out the promotional messages, a common problem in India.
- You can also filter between Skype Contacts and regular contacts.
- Pulse notification light.
- Apart from these, Skype Lite does allow you to use the standard subscription, comes with Skype Bots, and so on.
Here is an interesting bit. We did try out the Skype Lite yesterday, and it looks exactly like the Skype Mingo app available on the play store. It has been under testing for some time, and we can confirm that this is being rebranded as Skype Lite. It has the same download size as Skype Lite. If you have Mingo installed on your phone, an update should be available.
Keeping in mind that WhatsApp is THE popular app in India which does everything that Skype Lite does with additional features like end-to-end encryption, more privacy control, and the recently announced Status, where does Skype Lite finds itself?
As per the discussion with the Microsoft Skype Lite team, it is not here to compete with WhatsApp or any other messaging app, but it’s for those who already use Skype and want to have a lighter version when connected on lower bandwidth. Since the size is reduced and data consumption is less, it might become an attractive point for new users who would like to try it.
