Microsoft reveals Skype & 3rd party VOIP integration for Windows Phone 8

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Microsoft today announced the expansion of voice over telephony (VOIP) for Windows Phone 8, enabling the integration of Skype into the phone OS in addition to any other 3rd party VOIP applications.

Come this fall users will be able to have Skype as well as any 3rd party VOIP clients fully integrated into the Windows Phone dialer and contacts, giving a near seamless user experience. Background tasks and notifications will be handled by the OS allowing VOIP apps to manage calls across cellular and data connections. In addition, Bluetooth connectivity will also "just work" with Skype and other VOIP apps.

Developers will appreciate the array of new APIs that allow them to “plug in” to the Windows Phone 8 VOIP system while maintaining application and system stability.

The announcement comes on the heels of the Windows Phone 7 app update and should alleviate current user cmplaints about Skype's limitations on the platform, which we've detailed in the past.

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, 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 for some reason, watches. 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.

35 Comments
  • YAY!!! ITS ABOUT TIME!
  • !!!
  • Bye Bye crappy iPhone windows phone 8 has just killed your facetime. Windows phone 8 has been Wowing people and love the new UI and live tiles Look.
  • Yay! Knew it was coming but still yay! Now if only I had a WP8 device I hope they show some off later :P
  • Incredible
  • What abt 3rd party messaging? Any intergration?
  • So are we getting this on 7.8 then???
  • I want to know the same question
  • I agree...we need an offical Yes/No from the big wigs instead of just user speculation...  For me, Skype would be the one thing that could make or break 7.8 for me...(meaning I wouldn't care about not getting 8.0)
  • I highly doubt it will be the same level of integration but I am sure the client will improve more and more over time.
  • I think it will as there is no new hardware requirement, it seems like its just a software update.
  • honestly people, did you really think current hardware came with higher screen resolution, dual-core? No we didn't, so we shouldn't fool ourselves thinking gen 1 & 2 would get all the features. I can hold on the my L900 because I'd rather buy the sureface in October anyway.
  • honestly people, did you really think current hardware came with higher screen resolution, dual-core? No we didn't, so we shouldn't fool ourselves thinking gen 1 & 2 would get all the features. I can hold on the my L900 because I'd rather buy the sureface in October anyway.
  • Its a good day for WP7 Users
  • Well wp8 now
  • I bet you apple co founder must be watching this hahaha Steven Wozniak probably wants get wp 8 hahaha iPhone and android phone sucks
  • Tears of happiness
  • THIS is the feature I need yesterday. When when when???
  • Is this planned in on WP7.8?
  • Yes is this on wp7.8 because if all we are getting is a goddamn start screen im going to be pretty damn mad im happy we are getting some kind of update but seriously
  • Wait are we getting Skype integrated in WP 7.8??
  • No chance this is on 7.8. They all but confirmed 7.8 is basically just tile resizing and that alone
  • im pretty sure they never said that, remember the part where it says 7.8 is getting most of the features except the ones that require hardware?
  • Or new APIs.  I kinda doubt we'll see the new VoiP/Speech based functionality on 7.x.
  • Im most excited about this!
  • My DVP has served me well. But damn I want a new dual core Windows Phone 8!!!
  • I understand that they eventually need to leave the older gen 1 users, but if they don't include this in 7.8 their going to get some bad rep, I don't give a toss about the other shit
  • Looks like a titan 2 on the slide to me...just sayin'
  • @daniel or other WPCentral guys. I've noticed (or may have missed) no one has commented if Skype integration coming to 7.8. Is this purely because you don't know or its best we don't know or when we read coming to Windows 8 its exactly what it says and not Windows 7.8?
  • That sounds incredible.. iPhone R.I.P with your whatever iOS 6 & shit
  • WhatsApp also?
  • Is WhatsApp also a VoIP Content and gets integrated in 7.8?
  • Microsoft finally came out and announced that VOIP integration will finally be a part of Windows Phone 8 and that a new and amazing experience awaits users. Voipdito Virtual telephone number.
  • Windows Phone 8's architecture heavily overlaps with Windows 8 for the desktop and tablet, so there will be a great deal of similarity in the way that the OSes handle security, gaming, networking, media playback. slotspalace.mobi mobile bingo
  • Very small and small businesses can benefit from using specially configured and designed small business VoIP plans and business telephone systems because new VoIP technology lowers prices and makes complex systems much more accessible. bigcommunications Sales promotion