Skype was probably one of the first ever services launched on the internet whose sole focus was to enable communication between two people living in different parts of the city or country or world. Although it has been around for many years and several updates have been made which have introduced new features, Skype is still used by over a half a billion users. Inspite of a handful of new messaging apps in the market, Skype still remains the big daddy of all messaging and calling apps due to some unique features.
Video Calls
In an era of landline telephones and cell phones which had proper keys instead of a touchscreen, Skype had introduced video calls. They allowed face-to-face interaction while chatting with your loved ones and it was perceived no less as a miracle in technology. Even now, Skype enables its users to make free video calls to any user he wishes to contact.
Free International calls
The biggest drawback of moving to a different country, away from your family and friends was that international phone calls were so expensive that there was no way you could talk to your loved ones whenever you wanted. Skype was like a dream come true for such migrants. Not only was Skype absolutely free, it also allowed you to make a live video call. All that was needed was a good internet connection and that holds true to this day.
Clear and loud voice calls
One major reason why no other voice calling app has been able to match up to the popularity of Skype is the high quality of the calls made through Skype. The voice clarity is amazing, considering that calls are even placed literally across the seven seas. No other app offers this level of voice clarity.
Online, Offline or Busy
A Skype user can either set his status to Busy while being online or he can let it remain either online or offline by default. This enables other Skype users to know when a person is available for talking and when he is either busy or unavailable. The age old frustration of hearing your call go unanswered can be somewhat assuaged by this feature. On the other hand, if a person’s status is ‘online’ but he is not replying to your call, well, then you would have a bone to pick with him!
Accessible through PC
Most messaging and calling apps which emerged as rivals to Skype were basically apps built for smartphones. That is not surprising as this is the age of smartphones. But there are still some of us who prefer the age old method of opening up our laptops or desktop computers and chatting on a big screen. Skype had been created for PCs originally and it still remains basically a PC app although now it can also be downloaded into a smartphone. Chatting through your phone has its own advantages. You just have to whip your phone out of your pocket and get instantly connected to Skype.