Article by George Norman

On 06 Sep 2010

All the people who are currently using Skype 4.2 (the current stable version of Skype for Windows) are excited about the upcoming Skype 5.0. There is one very good reason to be excited about the next Skype iteration: Group Calling.

As you may remember, Skype rolled out a Beta version of Skype 5.0 back in May. With the Beta version a total of 5 people could video chat with one another at the same time. You could talk to 4 of your friends for example at the same time – you would see 4 video images on your screen, with a friend in each window. Great functionality if you want to plan an outing for example.


But group video calling with up to 5 people was not enough for Skype. The company has rolled out a second Beta version of Skype 5.0 This version, Skype 5.0 Beta 2 supports group video calling for up to 10 people. The more the merrier I would say.

“You can now use Skype to make group video calls* with up to 10 people – letting you bring even more of your family, friends or business together, even if you’re cities or continents apart. Note that everyone in a group video call now needs to be running this version, so if your friends, family or colleagues are using Beta 1, they’ll have to upgrade before you can include them in group video calls,” announced Skype’s Peter Parkes.

There are two other noticeable changes in Skype 5.0 Beta 2, changes that deserve mentioning. First up, it must be said that the Beta 2 comes with a new interface; Skype 5.0 Beta 2 comes with a sleeker, crisper look. Skype Home has been added to the interface, which means you can set your profile picture and mood message, follow your contacts' mood messages, receive account notifications and learn more about using Skype.

Second up, it must be said that Skype 5.0 Beta 2 is more stable and provides better call quality than Beta 1. Skype 5.0 Beta 2 also comes with a new automatic call recovery feature that automatically reconnects interrupted calls (interrupted by network problems that is).

If you would like to get Skype 5.0 Beta 2 for Windows with group video calling, you can download the application straight from Skype here.

The regular Beta warnings apply: the application may work poorly, it may not work at all, it may have bugs, it may drive you up the walls. Do not get Skype 5.0 Beta 2 for Windows unless you understand what it means to Beta test a product.



Tags: Skype, Skype 5.0 Beta 2, Group Calling

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