Skype has been testing video calls with up to 50 participants since early March with beta users. It previously supported only up to 25 callers at once. With the tests having been completed, the company has now rolled out this functionality to the stable version of its app. It’s thus possible to video chat with up to 50 participants. Skype is taking the lead in terms of the number of people you can have in one video call. For example, FaceTime only allows you to have up to 32 participants.
Managing these many participants in a group video call can be a bit of chore. That’s why Microsoft has improved group notifications. Prior to the update, every single person in the group would receive a ring when a call was initiated.
Now, Skype will only generally ping users with a system notification. It will also be possible for users to specify the participants that are allowed to ring them. Call organizers will still have the ability to ring everyone if there are fewer than 25 people in the group.
Those who are interested in trying out this functionality can now do so starting today. All they need to do is update the Skype app on their computer to the latest version and then they’ll be good to go.