Not wanting to be forgotten now that more people are using Zoom for videoconferencing while working from home to minimise the spread of COVID-19, Skype has introduced a new feature to help the company stay relevant. The video calling service from Microsoft announced the new changes on its landing page.
Skype’s Meet Now feature will allow you to generate a conference call link to send to participants to enjoy unlimited meetings. It is worth noting that the link does not expire and can be used at any time. This feature also lets you share your screen which makes it easier for collaborations and presentations.
Skype Meet Now will not require you to sign up to create or join in on the video calls or install the app as the web client will do the job. Meet Now will also work on any devices that have Skype already installed.
You can also use Skype’s other features such as the ability to record the video call and save it for later and blurring backgrounds before joining a video call.
Skype is also relatively more secure.
Introducing a simple, hassle-free way to connect with the important people in your life on #Skype, no sign-ups or downloads required. Learn about Meet Now: https://t.co/yOw6oBlFxx
— Skype (@Skype) April 3, 2020
This comes after Zoom’s recent security and privacy issues such as ‘Zoombombing’, stealing Windows passwords, malware injection, doubtful end-to-end encryption among other concerns.
Ever wondered how the @zoom_us macOS installer does it’s job without you ever clicking install? Turns out they (ab)use preinstallation scripts, manually unpack the app using a bundled 7zip and install it to /Applications if the current user is in the admin group (no root needed). pic.twitter.com/qgQ1XdU11M
— Felix (@c1truz_) March 30, 2020
The company has since posted their response, apologised to their users and promised to fix the flaws.
Contrarian view: Zoom will soon be the most secure conferencing tool out there.
(But too bad they didn’t save themselves some grief and engage in some security assessments of their own to avoid this trial by fire) https://t.co/8BLeNJiV7V
— Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) April 1, 2020
