The latest version of Skype for iOS has brought a new feature that may seem familiar to Snapchat users. The app now comes with Snapchat-style filters that can be added to still images and shared with other users. These photo effects will suggest customized filters based on the subject, so whether you’re trying to add filters to a photo of your pet or your morning cuppa, the app will have specific options for each occasion. To use the filters, all you need to do is take a photo and tap on the magic wand icon at the top of your app window to get a whole host of optional filters to choose from, including clever captions, celebrity lookalike suggestions, location, weather data, face swaps, stickers and more.
These filters will also keep changing daily, so the exact same photo will invite different filter suggestions on different days of the week. As is to be expected, holidays will also bring themed filters that can be added to the photos to capture the festive spirit. Once all the editing is over and done with, users will be able to share the edited images with people on their contact list or post them to Highlights – the feature that was introduced earlier this year as a competitor to Snapchat Stories. The latest update to Skype also brings along a couple of other cool features, including the ability to co-watch content from YouTube and other streaming services. The update also brings along more chat bots to add to its already impressive collection.
With these new features, Skype is desperately trying to regain some of its lost market share in an industry it once helped create. With apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp controlling a lion’s share of the consumer segment, Skype has turned its attention to the corporate sector over the past few years, so it will be interesting to see if these consumer-facing features will help it regain some of its lost glory among end-users.
