After spending months in the preview state, Microsoft's Skype for Business is now officially out for all Android users, bringing some neat features and functionality.
Skype for Business is designed with productivity in mind, aiming to help users fulfill their tasks and achieve their goals easier. Skype for Business on Android offers a number of convenient features, including a redesigned dashboard so items such as recent chats, contact search bar, and upcoming meetings can be easily accessed.
As a reminder, Skype for business comes as a replacement for the previous Lync 2013 software. Those who were using Lync 2013 on Android will see an automatic update straight to Skype for Business, based on their device settings. The new Skype for Business app for Android is also available as a free download on Google Play so anyone can try it out. IT admins, meanwhile, can check out the productivity guide for Skype for Business on Android so they can learn more and prepare their users.
Skype for Business brings along "modern authentication," meaning that it grants access based on access tokens and it allows admins to set up multi-factor authentication for their users.
Microsoft further notes that contact management is now significantly better, allowing users to search their Global Address list by name, email or phone number, through the contact search bar. It's also possible to quickly search for contacts within your groups on Skype for Business, easily adding or removing contacts while you're at it.
Handling meetings should also be easier now with the latest Skype for Business for Android, as users can tap to see the details of existing meetings and tap a "Quick Join" button next to an appointment to participate in that meeting.
"Your recent conversations are at your fingertips, no matter which device you had the conversation on," Microsoft explains in its announcement on the Office Blog. "Additionally, full-screen video as well as larger call-control buttons to mute and add participants to a meeting make it easy for you to collaborate on the go."
When it comes to Apple's mobile platform, Skype for iOS just received the update 6.8 that focuses mostly on sharing.
