Microsoft gets on in on Google Hangouts by updating Skype so that it can open Microsoft Office documents straight from the application. The merge with Microsoft Office also allows users to schedule calls.
Skype Gets Updated In an Attempt to Compete with Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts and Gchat are a very predominantly used platform for businesses. This is because Google has it all pretty much in one place – Hangouts, Docs, Sheets and everything else that’s part of Google Drive and Google Apps for Work. However, the desktop/laptop platform and mobile app are not nearly as popular as Skype. Microsoft is getting in on the action by bringing in some of the Microsoft Office suite to Skype and give people one more reason to get and use Skype on mobile.
Microsoft Gets Busy With Productivity
According to the official announcement, Skype is launching a few new features to make productivity easier and more accessible. Now users can schedule calls on a calendar that can sync to Outlook. Users can even schedule calls from Outlook. In addition, users that use the Microsoft Office suite can now easily open Excel spreadsheets from Skype. They can also open Word documents and Powerpoint presentations to leaf through when they are sent through a chat or group chat. Customers will be able to seamlessly open the Office apps from Skype as well.
Updates for iOS and Windows Phone Are Yet to Be Announced
Right now, the update is only out for Android users. There has been no announcement on when this update will roll out to iOS or Windows Phone, but it could be sooner than people expect. Attracting Windows users is a priority for the company since Microsoft is their parent company. The company is still enhancing the updates for Windows 10 in order to access the Windows Phone platform and optimize it.
Will The Platform Lose Out to Google Hangouts?
Since Skype is the only widespread video calling app on mobile, it’ll take a few punches for Google Hangouts to catch up. If the Google Hangout mobile app gets upgraded in a similar scale, then we’ll see an interesting competition between the two platforms.
