Skype App in Windows 8 – Review – A Simple Video showing the features
Windows 8 has integrated apps into its lifestyle. Skype is one such app and many of its features have been revamped to suit Microsoft style. Now you can merge Hotmail contacts with Skype and can call your friends for free.
The Skype for Windows 8 sucks when compared to the desktop version. The basic reason is it's lack of flexibility in navigating different features which otherwise was very simple using the PC version. You cannot simply import contacts that you have previously imported. It doesn't allow you to login with Skype Id and forces you to login with Windows Live Id.
But with the recent release of Skype 1.6, you can block contacts using the Metro version.
Whew! I thought it was real simple after reading the tutorial on “Engadget“. But that was not to be! I had to first update my Windows 8 Skype app to the new version before I can find this feature.
There is a small number showing the number of notifications on the Windows Store app. When you click that app, you can find all the apps that require updates. A more detailed tutorial on updating apps is given below:
To update apps on Windows 8 and Windows RT, do the following:
- Click Store on the Start screen.
- The Microsoft Store will open.
- Click Updates (#) located in the upper-right corner of the Store screen.
- The # will indicate how many updates are available.
- If you do not see Updates (#), swipe from the right side of the screen or move your mouse to the upper-right corner of the screen to bring up the charms bar. Then click Settings. Then click App updates.
- The App updates screen will load.
- Click Install at the bottom of the screen.
- Each of the app updates will be installed
When app updates have finished installing, you will see the message, Your apps were installed.
After the above procedure is completed, you can open the Skype app. Now open a contact by clicking it from the list of people. When the contact opens, just right-click anywhere on the screen.
As you can see in the above screenshot, several options are displayed. One such option is “Block“. When you click that option, couple more options are displayed in the pop-up.
These are optional options. These 2 are :
- Remove from people
- Report as Spam
You're now able to block users, with an option to remove or report the offending party. Speed and reliability have been improved, especially when loading contacts, and a number of bugs have been fixed, including one where the outgoing video was not always displayed after switching cameras. The update's available in Windows Store.
Sadly, nothing in this set of ‘instructions’ work. Upon loading the Windows Store on Windows 8.1, there isn’t an Updates(#) option. Windows store, when I find Skype, indicates the app is already updated. Following the instructions in Skype similarly doesn’t work as the “block” option for the contact doesn’t exist.
I want to block and report Frank from my contact list. He requested to be a contact and wanted me to email him. I was trying to block him, but couldn’t find the icon….the end result he is now
on or in my contacts……he called my house phone…I did not pick up. I’m sure it was him. I cannot follow these directions. Please help in a simple way/delete him from my contacts!!
Please respond ASAP. I changed, I believe my privacy to private…..I hope and think?:-/
Thanks