IM+ gets Skype file receiving and more for Windows Phone; Tumblr app gets a fix too

Update 5 PM ET: As it turns out the IM+ update is much, much larger than anticipated. See below for the full changelog.

For those of you who use the all-in-one messenger app IM+, both the Pro and Free versions were updated today to 2.9.1.0. The update doesn’t appear to bring any new features but is instead a rapid bug fix for some connectivity issues to Skype and VK that was reported by users.

IM+ Pro and Free for Windows Phone 7.x and 8, version 2.9.1.0 Changes

What's new? - IM+ users can receive all kinds of files in Skype, Yahoo!, and Jabber. File sending was previously available in IM+ for all supported IM services, and receiving is something very new and incredibly useful. We've also made some major tuning inside the app so that IM+ now connects much faster, and on the outside - like new pretty emoticons.

Advantages for VK.Com Users - Some time ago VK.com announced they will be dropping XMPP support, and only apps using VK API will work. We have implemented VK API support, IM+ customers in Russia (where both VK.com and Windows Phone are big things) can continuously enjoy IM+.

Advantages for Skype Users - Native Skype app is something that owners of low-end Windows Phone fear because of its clumsiness and not-so-fast performance even for chats, and while this can be the main reason they this switch to IM+, we're giving them another major reason: 2-way file transfer. Other benefits for using IM+ instead of native Skype app include support for "Away" and "DND" statuses, copying/quoting messages, chat history in Pro version.

  • Support for logging into Skype with Windows Live account
  • Google Talk OAuth support
  • Connection and stability improvements
  • Support for VK.com API
  • Improved profile pics quality for VK.com contacts
  • Redesigned file messages, previews for images in chats
  • Support for receiving files in Skype, Yahoo!, and Jabber
  • Support for sending voice and video messages
  • Support for two-step Google Talk authentication
  • New emoticons sets
  • Arabic localization
  • Optional displaying of contacts who are connected with "On Mobile"
  • status (implemented per customers' requests)
  • Bug fixes

Likewise, Tumblr’s app, which has not received much praise in reviews lately due to lagginess, articles not loading and other small performance issues, was updated to version 1.0.1.7. No changelog is visible in the Store, though seeing as it is a minor version bump and the app is evidently plagued with performance problems, we’ll hazard to guess that some of those have been addressed in this update.

Head to the Store to pick up IM+ (free or Pro; all Windows Phones) and or Tumblr (Windows Phone 8) update here.

Thanks, zhoulhas and nsa74, for the tips

QR: Tumblr

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.