Skype video chat is a fantastic way to keep in touch with friends, family and business contacts, but up until now, it was only as good as who was in front of their device at any given moment. All of that has changed with Skype's new Video Messaging feature, which is essentially video mail.
It allows you to record a video, up to three minutes long, and send it to any contact, whether they are online or offline. Then, once your contact signs in, they will see your message waiting for them and can view and respond at their own leisure. Fantastic, right?
Well, yeah, as long as you are on anything other than Windows Phone. You see, Skype's latest service is available for Skype for Windows desktop, Skype for Windows 8, Skype for Mac, Skype for iPhone, Skype for iPad, Skype for Android and let's throw in Skype for BlackBerry. With Skype being purchased by Microsoft over two years ago, it begs the question, "Huh?"
Sure, despite Skype now being a subsidiary of Microsoft, it is still its own company. However, Microsoft has signaled that Skype will be at the center of communications for all of their devices and services, and yet, they have neglected to include Skype's latest feature in their own operating system whose focus is that of communicating. Meanwhile, they have opted to bring Video Messaging to all of Windows Phone's competitors.
There's not even a mention in the announcement that Skype for Windows Phone will be getting this feature. In fact, they go so far as to say:
Video messaging is now available to all Skype users. You can send and receive as many video messages as you want – completely free of charge. Video messages can be received and viewed on any platform or device running Skype.
Umm, Skype...Aren't you forgetting somebody?
We reached out to Microsoft and the Skype team for a comment on the lack of Windows Phone support and received the following response:
“Windows Phone users can already receive and view Video Messages. We will inform you if we add send capability at a later date.”
So there you go folks: it's not there yet and may come in the future, but it doesn't sound like it's happening anytime soon. Begin ranting in comments in 3, 2, 1...
Source: Skype
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