Microsoft CEO Nadella launches Skype Lite: All you need to know

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Wednesday launched Skype Lite, a made-in-India avatar of its popular video calling app Skype, which comes loaded with features meant for low-end smartphones. The app, which has been developed at the tech giant's Hyderabad R&D centre, consumes low data and will allow Aadhaar verification in the time to come.

Skype Lite’s instant messaging, video and voice calling features are resources intensive, consumer lesser data and are meant for middle-to-low end smartphones.

“Although, 4G penetration has increased in India, network speeds still drop to 2G and 3G levels often. Skype Lite will be beneficial for users in areas with low data connectivity,” said Eugene Ho, Director, Product Management, Skype.

That doesn’t mean high-end smartphone users can’t use the app. Skype Lite switches to HD calling when connected to high-speed WiFi networks. It also packs in a feature to compress photographs to help reduce data consumption. The compression feature also lowers call quality according to the data speeds available.(Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during his keynote address at the Future Decoded summit in Mumbai on Wednesday. Source: Microsoft Future Decoded)In addition, Microsoft plans to integrate Aadhaar-based integration with Skype Lite. With this nifty feature, users can verify credentials using 12-digit unique identification number. An OTP sent to registered mobile number can be used to authenticate the veracity of users.

Such a feature can be used in situations like Skype-based interviews. The Aadhaar data will be purged at the end of every call, Ho said while implying that Skype Lite is a secure app.

Skype Lite also has a few more features up its sleeve. The 13MB available of Google Playstore can replace your default dialler and messaging app on your phone. It can draw contacts from your phonebook and filter promotional messages to provide a clutter-free inbox. It also allows for the use of bots and emojis.

Skype Lite has been localised for Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Urdu. Microsoft doesn’t plan to release Skype Lite in other geographies, making the app a made-for-India product in truest sense.