Skype Apps for Android and iOS Updated With Video Filters and More

Microsoft has rolled out an update to Skype's Android, iPhone, and iPad apps to add a shiny new feature. Users with any of the said clients will be able to add video message filters. In case you're wondering, yes, it is indeed similar to Snapchat's recently rolled out video filters.

Users will now be able to add filters such as balloons and ghosts to their video messages. The option appears at the bottom left of the video message window. "Add balloons to your video message to celebrate any occasion. If you're feeling goofy, change the appearance of your face to make it look rounder or longer - we love this one!" Skype team wrote in a blog post.

The feature is similar to the additions Snapchat introduced in its app last month. The video-centred ephemeral messenger added lenses, trophies, and paid replays to its app. Using these features, users were able to take a selfie and then choose face filters, and add awards icons to the images.

Additionally, the team has also added support for 3D Touch in its Skype app for iPhone. Users with an iPhone 6s or an iPhone 6s Plus will now be able to force touch the Skype icon and see search and calling options in the contextual menu without having to open the app. In addition, inside the app, users can get a peek into conversations and video chats.

Separately, at an event in New Delhi, the company announced that it will be adding Bollywood content to Skype Mojis. For those unfamiliar, Mojis is a feature that the company introduced in Skype last month. Using this, users are able to add short clips of their favourite movies and TV shows right into a Skype chat. The company said that it has partnered with Yash Raj Films and Eros Now to get content. The company says that it will also add several India-centric emoticons.

Skype is in an interesting spot right now. On one hand, it is seemingly losing relevance in the aggressively growing instant messaging market, but on another, it holds the tentpole position in the enterprise space. In the recent months, it has ostensibly grown interest to make its instant messaging client appealing to the younger audience. A recent example of it is the upcoming Dialer app, an India-optimised Skype app we exclusively reported about earlier this month.