The Android app offers the same features and layout as on the iPhone, but the homescreen is simplifed to four floating buttons: Contacts, Recent Calls, Call Phones (for connecting to land and mobile lines), and Profile. A button to end the call also appears there. You can tap the screen to pull up a hovering menu with a button to switch between a back or front-facing camera, mute the microphone, or check the call time. During face-to-face calls, the incoming caller's video takes up the entire screen, while a thumbnail-sized window of outgoing video sits in the left corner. To launch a call, you can select a friend from the contact list and tap "Video Call" (you can also initiate an audio call and send an IM). The iPhone app is divided into five tabs: Call, Chats, Contacts, History, and My Info. Here, you can also mark yourself as Available or Invisible.Skype Mobile's interface works similarly to the desktop version but is simplified. Tap the avatar at the top of the screen to jump to your profile, where you can see your vital information (including Skype credits) and change your mood message (Skype's version of a status update). While I personally didn't use this feature often, it was a convenience that many took advantage of. For instance, the app no longer lets you send files to other users. But as good a messenger as the new Skype is, it is missing a few of its more advanced features that avid chatters might miss.
In fact, it now feels more like it's primarily a messaging app with voice and video capabilities rather than the other way around. With the new design, Skype feels like a much lighter app that's meant for quickly firing off messages to friends. Otherwise, you can swipe left to get to your favorite contacts, and swipe again to see all of your contacts. From here, you can tap on a contact to jump directly to a conversation (instead of a profile page) and reply.
With version 4.0's clear focus on messaging, the app now opens up directly to your recent conversations. Its newly designed interface is decidedly tidy, with only three main tabs to house most of the app's functions. Skype may seem like a complicated app, with its video, chatting, and landline-calling capabilities, but rest assured, it isn't.
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