14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just released a new version of Skype for Linux, once again addressing many of the reported bugs, but also introducing some new features that certainly come in handy to those on the platform.
According to the official changelog, which you can read in the box at the end of the article, Skype 1.7 for Linux is still part of the alpha development stage, but it includes several important improvements, such as fixes for the reconnection of the app that occurred every once in a while when it was suspended for a longer time.
There were plenty of complaints from users that Skype for Linux was reconnecting automatically when not using the app for a certain amount of time and Microsoft has already acknowledged the bug. This new version fixes the problem, so everything should work correctly after applying the update.
Additionally, Skype for Linux 1.7 introduces a new grid layout of the group calls, but also fixes the standard behavior of unread messages. According to Microsoft, this means that “when opening chat with unread messages, the view will focus on the first unread message and as you scroll, messages will be marked as read.”
While this is a welcome improvement, there still are important features missing from the Linux Skype client, including screen sharing. Microsoft is most likely working on new functionality behind the closed doors, but given the fact that the app is currently under development, it’s hard to estimate when they could arrive for testers.