The latest version of Skype hides the user's IP address, a feature that was requested by many users - especially gamers.
Microsoft has announced that the IP address of users will now be hidden by default. The latest change is very significant that will benefit Skype gamers playing online. Gamers sometimes struggle to prevent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks as rivals can look at their Skype ID, find the IP address via resolver service and attack the IP address with traffic so that the gamer is thrown offline.
"Skype is fully committed to delivering as safe and secure of an experience as possible to our customers. We have recently introduced the ability to hide a Skype user's IP address and we've set this as a default status in the latest versions of Skype," says Skype. "Starting with this update to Skype and moving forward, your IP address will be kept hidden from Skype users. This measure will help prevent individuals from obtaining a Skype ID and resolving to an IP address."
The problem did not affect only gamers. However, gamers were the most targeted group of attacks. The latest update will definitely help many users, but gamers will appreciate the change in particular.
Skype did not address the gaming community in the body of the announcement but the heading did say "To our gamers," which suggests that the messaging service received feedback about the problems mainly from gamers.
Skype is one of the most popular video chat and voice chat service in the world. Microsoft acquired the company in 2011 and the service is available for Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as on BlackBerry, iOS, Windows and Android mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Microsoft has introduced a number of changes to Skype after its acquisition so that more and more users join the service.
On Wednesday, Skype announced that its Android app will allow users to schedule calls and open Microsoft Office documents with ease.
On Jan. 12, 2016, Skype announced that it was on track to launch a free group video calling for Android, iPhone, iPad And Windows 10 Mobile devices. The company is yet to reveal the roll out date of the service but customers can pre-register to get more information about the upcoming service.
In November 2015, Skype updated its Android app that allowed users to save video messages received. The update also brought enhanced search feature and easy picture sharing in conversations.
Constantly, upgrading the service is important for businesses to remain competitive. However, updating the service to improve the security of users is one of the most important aspects for companies such as Skype that has millions of customers.
Hiding IP address by default will be appreciated by many users who do not want other Skype users to view their IP address.
