Skype grid view grows to twelve people in video calls

By Sean Endicott
published

Your group calls just got room for a few more with Skype's latest update.

Skype on iOS
Skype on iOS (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Skype can now show up to twelve people at once in a grid during video calls.
  • The same update also brings custom backdrop support to Skype on Windows, Mac, Linux, and the web.
  • The update brings Skype to version 8.62, which is available now.

Skype just gained some handy new features across all platforms. The Windows, Mac, Linux, and Web versions of Skype just gained backdrop options and every version now lets you see twelve people in a grid view (previously the limit was nine). The features roll out in Skype version 8.62 which is available now.

The Windows, Mac, Linux, and Web versions now let you choose from predefined backgrounds that are included within the app. You can also upload your own backgrounds to personalize calls.

Here is the complete changelog for Skype 8.62 as shared by Microsoft:

Skype for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Web

  • Choose your backdrop: You can now choose one of our predefined backgrounds for video calls, in addition to uploading your own. Learn how to customize your background on Skype.
  • The more the merrier: You can now see more of your friends than ever in a video call; up to twelve in the new grid view. Learn more about views in Skype video calls.
  • Bug fixes and stability improvements. We've improved message sync when some conversations weren't updating, as well as made a few general improvements.

Skype for Android, iPhone, and iPad

  • The more the merrier: You can now see more of your friends than ever in a video call; up to eight on your phone and up to nine on your tablet. Learn more about views in Skype video calls.
  • Bug fixes and stability improvements. We've improved message sync when some conversations weren't updating, as well as made a few general improvements.

The ability to view more people on a screen at once should make group calls easier and more sociable. With more people working from home, video calls are on the rise on just about every platform.

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Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).

3 Comments
  • this feature came 12 years too late
  • Is Skype still a thing?
  • We can thank competition from Zoom for most of these recent enhancements. Hopefully this wakeup call isn't too little too late as others are implying. The possibility of getting back to #1 was probably lost years ago, but these overdue enhancements might stem the decline into total irrelevancy. I actually prefer Skype for family video calls. It can do virtual backgrounds on hardware where Zoom cannot and of better quality too. It would be my favorite messenger as well due to the killer feature of being able to edit messages for a limited time after sending and superior Windows integration. The problem is, very few people still use Skype for messaging. Sadly, Microsoft doesn't see the value of RCS/SMS fallback. This would allow anyone to set Skype as their default messenger (as we could briefly during end of the Windows Phone era) instead of relying on Google Messages. Skype does provide limited SMS capability if you purchase Skype credits. Astonishingly, the 50 monthly Skype credits included in Microsoft 365 Home and Personal cannot be used for Skype SMS! Even the Microsoft support reps I worked with on this issue were surprised. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Someday, even diehards like me might have to give up...