When you make a Skype call, in an ideal scenario, you click the contact, turn on your webcam, and voilà, you are able to see your friends and family all over the world.
But as we all know, life isn't perfect and snags that may impact your experience can crop up. That's why we literally have hundreds of engineers, developers, quality testers and others working tirelessly to make sure that you have the best experience possible.
One of those people who ensures the Skype experience looks and sounds great and works smoothly is Raul Liive, Skype's Beta Program Manager. He gave us some 'inside information' on the benefits of keeping your Skype software up-to-date.
Better Performance
The product teams at Skype work hard to improve the application with each and every new release, and they take users' feedback into account. For example, all of the latest versions of Skype have universally quicker load times and are optimized for different network conditions.
Improved Quality and Compatibility
New versions of Skype deliver significantly better audio and video quality. A Skype call between two users who are both using the latest version of Skype will look and sound better than calls using older versions. Some calls now, with the right equipment, are in HD quality. When you're talking with your loved ones, you definitely will want to see and hear them in the highest quality possible!
New Features
Without upgrading, you won't have access to new paid Skype Premium features which provide completely new functionality (like group video calling and group screen sharing). These will help save you time while using Skype, and improve product usability and aesthetic design.
Increased Security
The safety of our users and their personal information is paramount. New versions of Skype have marked improvements to the security infrastructure to help better protect you from hackers, exploiters and scammers.
Bug Fixes
Even with our extensive quality assurance and testing process prior to releasing products, bugs and other errors sometimes slip through. New versions of Skype fix these issues.
All of us here at Skype are actively working to make sure Skype works for you, and we want to make sure you have a great experience calling your friends and family. Keeping your software as current as possible will mean that using Skype just gets better and better.
What was the best Skype experience you ever had? Let us know in the comments or tweet at @Skype using #Update4Free.