Filed under: iPhone, App Store
SMS texting and voicemail support come with latest Skype update
Skype (iTunes link) has been updated to 1.1, which brings it some new features making it more closely resemble its desktop sibling. So, what's new? Well, there's now support for Skype voicemail (subscription needed) and SMS text messaging.However, SMS texting is not bidirectional. Which means that you can send SMS texts, but not receive them. And while a dialog box states that sent SMS texts will show up as sent from the sender's Skype screen name, in my case it displayed the "999-99" caller ID that typically accompanies calls from a Skype-based client. Perhaps that's because I don't have a SkypeIn number?
The 1.1 update also provides additional language support as well as more help when dialing phones.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike said 12:22AM on 6-30-2009
No push??
Reply
Raul Riera said 12:39AM on 6-30-2009
Nope
Christian said 10:15AM on 6-30-2009
The lack of push is a HUGE gap in this app's features.
Shunnabunich said 12:45AM on 6-30-2009
So, what's not new? Well, Canada still gets singled out to get the shaft.
(Except for those willing to jailbreak, install a patch meant for pirating App Store apps and download Skype from some file upload service.)
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Piotr Malecki said 6:14AM on 6-30-2009
Or you can create a US iTunes account and skip the credit card part (it'll tell you that you might have to fill it in later).
Shunnabunich said 10:52AM on 6-30-2009
I just tried, and there doesn't seem to be any way, either on Apple's website or iTunes, to enter an address (or set up the account for use with iTunes) without entering credit card information. No option to skip, any more than you can skip the Terms of Service screen.
antiorario said 1:16AM on 6-30-2009
Michael Bluth?
:-D
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Thijs Poorthuis said 4:36AM on 6-30-2009
ha, nice one indeed :)
me said 2:24PM on 6-30-2009
I wonder how many people caught the arrested development 'easter egg' besides us 3
Roman said 2:59AM on 6-30-2009
Great news about Skype on iPhone.
Do you know that you can also send sms messages to landline phones with text2land.com service? Check this out.
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Seppo said 3:24AM on 6-30-2009
Now that push IM-applications are still quite rare, AIM being bit rough, BeeJive a paid appliction, Skype would have had an opportunity to catch even more mindshare by introducing the push enabled version now.
Although the current version is quite well done, the lack of push messages makes it quite limited. Hopefully 1.2 will follow soon.
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nilusworld said 4:19AM on 6-30-2009
so why are there only a handfull of application which use the new 3.0 functions like push. Didn't they had enough time? I agree with you. Did should bring more Skype Users. I use Skype everyday on the Computer and sometimes on iPhone (only WIFI sucks - I hope they will change it because Skype via 3G worked already 3 years ago on my Nokia E61 in Europe).
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Abisola said 7:04AM on 6-30-2009
The SMS ca be bi-directional if you set up your mobile number from within your desktop Skype client. works fine for me and displays my own mobile number.
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Dru said 7:29AM on 6-30-2009
Is there a per message charge for SMS?
Abisola said 7:49AM on 6-30-2009
yeah. in europe, it costs 0.053 Euros per message.
johnh58 said 9:07AM on 6-30-2009
COME ON WE NEED PUSH NOTIFICATION. Sounds like the folks that didn't give us MMS. All these new features with iphone os 3 and nowhere to use them. What was everybody doing for the last 4 months with sdk.
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doug said 11:32AM on 6-30-2009
voicemail! a feature I have been waiting for on this app. i am unable to get it to work with my headset, so either I am doing something wrong or it is not supported. so bluetooth support and the push that others mentioned would be welcome.
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Max said 7:28AM on 7-01-2009
Arrested Development!!!
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Odineye said 9:37PM on 6-30-2009
Voicemail support is absolutely what this application needed. It becomes a more complete mirror of the desktop app, and becomes significantly more useful .
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