I received an e-mail today from Skype that read:
“We are now retiring older versions of Skype and it appears that you’re currently using one of these. To continue signing into Skype on your mobile or tablet, you’ll need to download the latest version. The new version comes with improved performance, the latest features and security updates, so you’ll get the best possible Skype experience.”
I hadn’t ever received an e-mail like this before from Skype. And usually, when iOS apps are updated, the process is pretty much automatic thru the App Store. I decided to investigate further. I launched iTunes and looked at apps I’d already downloaded. I saw that the Skype for iPad app (the only version I’m currently using) didn’t indicate an update was available. I looked at the listing for the Skype iPhone app in the App Store and saw that there was a new version of that app released earlier this month. I’m assuming that I received the e-mail because I had downloaded Skype for iPhone in the past, but I no longer own an iPhone, and I guess Skype somehow knew that I hadn’t downloaded the latest version of the iPhone app, and that’s what triggered the e-mail.
Skype blogged about the updated iPhone app last month, noting that this update came on the heals of updates for its Android and Windows Mobile apps, as well as the “next generation” version of Skype for Windows Desktop. There’s also a recently updated version of Skype for Mac.
With all of these updates, it looks like Skype isn’t kidding about retiring the old versions of its software. If Skype is part of your podcasting toolkit, be sure to update to the latest version. No matter what platform you’re using, Skype’s got an update for you.
Posted by Shawn Thorpe
I got that email from Skype, don’t see an update available at the App Store and don’t know if my app is obsolete or not (iPad). I can’t find from skype what the latest version number is.
Mine is: 4.17.0.135 (4.17.135)
Is that what you have after the “new” system is downloaded?
I have the same version. I think what’s happening here is that, if you use Skype with different accounts, and you haven’t logged in on the latest version of an app with all of your different accounts, Skype sends e-mails to the accounts that haven’t used the latest version(s), under the assumption that one particular account’s client has been updated yet.