Skype update for Windows 10 brings message reactions, design tweaks, more

Microsoft has announced a new update for the Skype UWP app on Windows 10 that brings along some notable changes that were previously only available to Windows Insiders. Included are some tweaks to the UI, along with message reactions and sharing tweaks.

Skype New

From a design standpoint, the most notable change is that Skype has ditched the hamburger menu and some elements have been moved around. Now, you can now access your profile, start new conversations, access the dial pad and more from above your recent conversations. The goal is to make accessing these things faster, but your mileage may vary depending on which design you prefer.

Aside from the UI tweaks, Skype is picking up a couple of other handy features. Now you can share files, videos, photos, and more directly to Skype from the Share charm. You can also now add an emoji reaction to any message, showing your chat partner how you feel about what was said.

If you're on the Insider Release Preview ring, these updates actually started rolling out earlier this week, so you should already have them. Following today's announcement, the update should start making its way out to everyone relatively soon. We have yet to see it on our end (at the time of this writing), but it could take some time to roll out widely.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl