Microsoft Corp. announced on Monday that a new version of the Skype app for the iOS platform will soon be released.
Eric Lin, product marketing manager for Skype, wrote in a blog post that the new iPhone app will be available around the world in "about a week," according to PC Magazine.
"This is the biggest change ever to Skype for iPhone, and soon we will be delivering a new iPad version too," Lin said.
An app with a flatter appearance is shown in preview screenshots, The Mac Observer reported.
The design aesthetics for the app are similar to that of Apple's iOS 7. Screenshots and videos listing the changes are featured on the Skype for iPhone page.
Lin said that the new app is not only faster, but that it would have less lags than the current version of the app. The new app will offer iPhone users a smoother experience when they scroll and move to different screens. Users will also be able to start group chats from the hub. They will also be able to send messages and photos to contacts that are offline, according to PC Magazine.
The app should also interact with other devices that are used on Skype. Conversations that users read on their tablets, PCs, or Xboxes will be read on their iPhones as well.
"Just like the redesigned Skype for Android app, we took the opportunity to rewrite this new version from the ground up and customize it to fit iOS best," Lin said. "The new Skype for iPhone is redesigned to put your conversation at the center of a faster, smoother and far more integrated experience."
A new version of Skype for iPad is also being worked on. However, the update is expected to come out after the iPhone update, which is said to be "over five times faster than before," Digital Trends reported.
Lin said in his post that Skype's designers and engineers had "obsessed over every pixel" to make the new Skype for iPhone.
