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Microsoft Introduces Skype Lite in India

Microsoft launches India-only Skype which is half the size of the normal app.
Microsoft launches India-only Skype which is half the size of the normal app.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella held a press conference in Mumbai on February 23, where he announced a new version of Skype for emerging markets. 

Called Skype Lite, initially launched in India only, is designed to be light on resources as well as have other features such as SMS integration, local language support and local bots, according to GSM Arena.

The main feature of the app is that it reduces resource consumption. At 14MB, it is half the size of the standard Skype app for Android, although there is room for further improvement. 

Skype Lite has built-in options for reduced data usage during voice and video calls, and it can also compress images before sending, however, these features can be disabled. Skype Lite also has meters to show how much data the app has consumed.

Skype Lite also has SMS integration; you can send and receive SMS within the app and it lists all the SMS you have received so far, similar to Google Hangouts. 

The inbox also has clever filters to include or ignore Skype messages, SMS, and promotional SMS from view. The app also shows your call history, including non-Skype calls. The contact list can also be filtered to show just Skype numbers or all numbers.

Lastly, there is artificial intelligence ‘bot’ integration as well. 

For starters, there is the transport bot available, that lets users find out more about the railway services or driving license and registration services. There are also a few fun but less practical bots such as Meme Cat and Horoscope. More bots will be added later.

Skype Lite is available in seven Indian languages, including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu; English is the default language used on the form. It is currently only on Android.

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