App Store Apps

Microsoft optimizes Skype for iPhone 6 screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

As promised, software maker Microsoft has just issued an update to Skype for the iPhone and iPod touch adding native display support for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen sizes, the team announced in a blog post Wednesday morning.

As a result, you'll see more of your recent chats and messages in conversation view on Apple's new smartphones because iOS 8 doesn't have to compensate for the lack of iPhone 6 support by blowing up the interface to fill up the whole screen.

Skype for iPhone 5.6, available free in the App Store, also adds presence indicators to your Recent list and number of contacts and time zones information on contact profiles.

Jump past the fold for other features in this maintenance Skype update.

Microsoft launches Skype Qik, its own ephemeral video messaging app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Tuesday, software giant Microsoft launched a brand new ephemeral messaging app, Skype Qik, in a bid to take on the likes of Snapchat and other applications in the increasingly crowded ephemeral messaging space.

“Imagine if you could reinvent the Skype experience, taking into account how messaging, selfies and app culture have changed the way we communicate,” reads the blurb.

The free of charge iPhone app is based on Microsoft's $100 million acquisition of the mobile video provider Qik three years ago. Microsoft retired the original Qik app soon after, clearing the way for a re-introduction of the reimagined Qik software for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

As the name suggests, Skype Qik is being promoted through the Skype brand, itself owned by Microsoft. Matter of fact, Qik runs alongside Skype to provide an ongoing form of video chat allowing you to share laughs, and chat with groups of friends.

You can now protect your OneDrive with Touch ID

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2014

Windows and Office maker Microsoft on Wednesday pushed a small but important update to OneDrive, its cloud storage client for the iPhone and iPad. The refreshed application enables users to lock content in the app using Touch ID-based fingerprint verification on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The new OneDrive 4.5.1, a free 12.7-megabyte download from the App Store, also takes full advantage of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, lets you sort files and folders and includes bug fixes and stability improvements.

Microsoft to update Skype for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2014

Software giant Microsoft, which owns and runs the Skype service, will unleash an update next month that will optimize the popular VoIP platform for the bigger 4.7-inch screen on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus's 5.5-inch display, according to a Skype spokesperson Tuesday.

“We’re currently working on an update to Skype for iPhone that scales for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screen sizes, which we plan to release in the next month,” said Skype.

The company wouldn't reveal if the new version will take full advantage of the larger canvas or simply blow up the user interface on 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 devices.

Microsoft updates Bing Search app with translation widget in Safari and Notification Center

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2014

First demoed at WWDC 2014 back in June, Microsoft's Bing translation widget and custom actions for Safari and the Notification Center in iOS 8 is now available by way of an update to the free Bing Search app for the iPhone and iPod touch devices. Available free of charge in the App Store, the new Bing Search 5.0.1 also contains bug fixes.

As shown on the screenshots top of post, enabling the Bing Search Translation action in Safari requires that you bring up the Share sheet in Safari.

Skype gains iOS 8’s interactive notifications

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Microsoft on Monday refreshed its Skype software for the iPhone with support for the enhanced notifications on iOS 8 that can be interacted with on the Lock screen, within the Notification Center and from the banners.

Now available in the App Store, Skype for iPhone 5.5 brings iOS 8 interactive notification support for audio and video calls and messages, in addition to general improvements, compatibility enhancements and bug fixes.

Microsoft adds group audio calling with up to four participants to Skype for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2014

Skype, a Microsoft-owned Voice over IP (VoIP) provider, on Thursday added another missing feature to its iPhone client after a major visual overhaul of the app in June removed a few popular capabilities.

Specifically, the new Skype 5.4 enables group audio calling with up to four participants. You can also add or remove people to an existing call and disabled users should appreciate a few improvements to the app's accessibility.

The refreshed application is now available in the App Store for free.

Microsoft updates Office for iPad apps with more affordable monthly subscriptions

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 2, 2014

Windows maker Microsoft has just refreshed its Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for iPad with support for month-to-month Office 365 subscriptions, the team announced today in a blog post.

Before, users were only able to buy a yearly Office 365 subscription within the Office for iPad apps.

Starting today, the refreshed Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications allow you to take advantage of Apple's In-App Subscription feature to buy recurring monthly subscriptions for Office 365 Personal and Office 365 Home.

Xbox One SmartGlass app now lets you record game clips and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Less than two weeks following an update which has enabled Xbox One owners to install games on their console remotely, using their iOS device, the Windows giant Microsoft today pushed another update adding nearly a dozen cool new features.

For starters, the free iPhone and iPad application now allows you to record game clips remotely, too.

And in a series of social improvements, the app now lets players share and post activity feed items and post status updates to their activity feed, as well as browse through their activity feed directly on their profile page.

Xbox One SmartGlass now lets you install Xbox games remotely, live TV streaming due soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Software giant Microsoft today pushed a nice little update to its Xbox One companion app for the iPhone and iPad, SmartGlass.

Version 2.8 is now available in the App Store, providing a handy new feature letting you buy and install Xbox games and other content remotely, from your iOS device.

Moreover, the application now supports in-app browsing of new and popular games, add-ons and bundles.

You can even rate your favorite Xbox game clips and activity feed entries, as well as view shared Activity Feed and Game Clips — all within the app. And in a future SmartGlass update due later this year, Microsoft will add ability to stream live TV locally to your iPhone or iPad...

Microsoft releases SNIPP3T, a new app for tracking celebrity news

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Microsoft has released a new app for the iPhone today called SNIPP3T. It describes the software as a 'Celebrity News' app, that aggregates all of the latest gossip on your favorite Hollywood stars from around the web into one convenient stream.

The app is actually really well designed, and as you can imagine, it's heavily tied into Microsoft's Bing search engine. Fans can read recent news articles on celebrities, subscribe to their news streams, and view curated Profile pages for more info...

Microsoft adds new features to Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 31, 2014

Software giant Microsoft has issued a trio of updates to its Office for iPad applications in the App Store. Now available as free downloads, the refreshed editions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPad bring over a dozen new capabilities enhancing your experience.

Some of the headline improvements include much-requested user-facing features such as the ability to use third-party fonts in your documents, export docs as PDF files, a new Presenter View for PowerPoint, new Picture Tools that let you crop to focus on the right part of an image, external keyboard support in Excel and more...