With a large number of people now working from home due to shelter-in-place orders, we’re seeing a boom in video conference call apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Hangouts and the now-controversial Zoom. One app that has been around for a long time is Skype and now they want to remind people that they’re the OG when it comes to this kind of business and personal video calls. Now you can do your video calls without having to sign up or even download the app with the Meet Now feature.
Zoom was a pretty popular app the past few weeks until chinks in its armor started showing. There have been a lot of security issues with random strangers jumping into video calls or people able to access supposedly private video calls later on. So Skype is now creating a bit of noise so people can have a viable and convenient alternative to video conference calls. While most apps require you to at least sign-up or download the app, Skype has made it pretty easy to create and jump in on a call.
Introducing a simple, hassle-free way to connect with the important people in your life on #Skype, no sign-ups or downloads required. Learn about Meet Now: https://t.co/yOw6oBlFxx
— Skype (@Skype) April 3, 2020
First, you will have to generate a unique link for your upcoming video conference. You can then share this link to people you want to include in the call, whether they’re family members or officemates. You can invite people by copy-pasting the link onto messaging apps or emailing it to them if you want to be more formal. They can then join the call by clicking on the unique link sent.
If they already have Skype installed on their mobile devices, the call will open on the app itself. If they don’t have the app or if they don’t have Skype, the link will open on Skype on the Web on your default browser. You can still do some basic Skype features like record the call for watching later (it will last up to 30 days), blurring the background if you want to hide your messy room (and roommates), and screen sharing for those presentations, documents, and demonstrations.
Hopefully, there will be no security breaches for Skype if more people jump on their simplified video conference Meet Now feature. Of course if you want more advanced features then you’ll have to download the Skype app and sign up, but for now, this is the simplest and most efficient way to do your video calls.
