Microsoft Launches Skype Lite, Contests Google for India’s Slow-Paced Internet

The app similar to Facebook Lite was built in Hyderabad development centre of Microsoft and tested with the consumers in India.

Skype had an early mover advantage and was the de facto solution for Indians to do worldwide video calling, especially for parents to communicate with children overseas. The Skype Bot Platform, started a year ago, allowed developers to make their own chatbot to serve different requirements.

Microsoft Corp’s Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella is in India for the Future Decoded 2017 event in Mumbai. Much like Google assistant, Microsoft has also introduced bots to the messaging app and added automated services such as MSN News.

Skype Lite contains many new features which have been specifically designed with this market in mind. Why this app is uniquely Indian is because of its use of India Stack which are a group of new APIs that allow for the integration of government agencies and make their services available to Indian citizens.

The new application will occupy only a third (13MB) of the previous Skype application (36MB), and it also consumes lesser data.

Skype Lite will also integrate Aadhaar, the 12-digit national identification number system widely used in India, so users can securely identify themselves.

Skype Lite is available in Gujarati, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu and has been borne of Microsoft’s close work with users in India.

Eugene Ho, Director of Product Management at Skype said that though Skype has “millions” of users in India, a large proportion of these are still using lower-end devices and can not afford high end Android or iOS devices. The Skype Lite app was built in India and thus takes into account the condition internet in the present time.

It also has default dialler and messaging application on your Android phone the tab displays Skype IMs along with your SMS messages and eliminates promotional messages so that your texts are maintained properly.

Microsoft has launched Project Sangam, a cloud service integrated with LinkedIn that will help train and generate employment for middle and low-skilled workers. Project Sangam too offers authentication using Aadhaar. However, it’s unlikely that the app won’t make its way to other regions as well. Settings menu reveals a tonne of other customisations such as notifications, privacy settings, chat backups etc. The project aims to connect the skills learning programs directly with relevant jobs, by leveraging the power of LinkedIn’s extensive job search platform.