Giving people more legit reasons for speaking absurdly close into their smartwatches, Skype just made some long-overdue updates to its Android Wear app.
Now Android watch wearers can receive Skype alerts and read new messages right from their wrists. And they can also respond to Skype conversations from their smartwatches.
"Reply to messages directly from your Android Wear device," says the Skype Team. "You can use voice-to-text by speaking to your wrist. Or, if you're in a rush, you can select from a set of pre-written responses. You can even draw on the watch and respond with an emoji!"
The update also brings the ability to take control over audio and video calls from Android Wear, though Android phones will be required to actually carry out the the Skype communications. Also, Skype's Android Wear app will now display incoming calls and enable users to decline an incoming call.
"While on a call, you can also use your Android Wear watch to mute, hang up or pause and switch to another incoming call," says the Skype Team.
The Skype Team has been busy, and not just with this. Earlier this month, the Microsoft-owned unit rolled out redesigned apps for Android and iOS.
"We've redesigned Skype to be much more natural and intuitive, and have added a bunch of new capabilities to make it even more delightful to use," stated the Skype Team earlier this month. "Whether you're using an iPhone or iPad, or an Android phone, it's the same Skype you know and love - but way better!"
For Android, the Skype group touched up the interface with Google's Material Design scheme and implanted a floating action button to serve as a shortcut to call and chat tools. The group also made improvements to messaging, making unread messages more distinct.
For iOS, the team reworked the interface to suit iPhones and iPads to make them "easier to use than ever before." For iPad specifically, messaging has been built out with features such as location sharing and support for large emoticons.
Across all iterations of its mobile app, the Skype Team streamlined the search so that it's easier to sift through messages and seek out contacts.
