Fifteen years after launch, Skype gets the built-in ability to record calls into the cloud, with the option of downloading them for permanent storage.
The cloud-based feature is available on all platforms in the latest version of Skype except for Windows 10, which will get it in “the coming weeks”, Microsoft said.
The feature means users don’t have to rely on a second application or a Skype plug-in to record calls.
In the case of video calls the recordings include all participants’ video streams in a single view, for instance showing a split-screen view in the case of a two-person video conversation.
Microsoft stores recordings for 30 days on its cloud back-end, but gives users the option of downloading the video during that period.
The cloud-based videos can be accessed via Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux devices.
To start a recording during a call, users click the + sign, causing a popup menu to appear on the desktop version of Skype with the option to “Start recording”. On a mobile the app displays a record button with the same text.
When Skype begins to record, it notifies all participants with a banner at the top of the screen displaying a recording symbol and the length of the recording.
It also displays a notice from Microsoft that users should always “avoid legal snags by telling people they’re being recorded“, with a link to Microsoft’s privacy statement.
Skype’s new call recording is part of a number of new features that are expected to come to the app this time of the year. Microsoft is even redesigning the desktop client with a mobile-like design for PC users. Skype’s call recording feature already started rolling out early August, and will be available to all the latest versions of Skype over time.
Source: Silicon
