Skype will soon receive video call upgrades and Cortana integration

At Microsoft’s Build 2014, Skype got a brief mention during the Windows Phone 8.1 demo, but now the details are here. Skype for Windows Phone 8.1 will let you upgrade calls to video chats and will feature Cortana integration. First and foremost, Skype for Windows Phone 8.1 is the first mobile app that lets you upgrade your regular phone calls to Skype audio and video calls directly from the dialer. 

Skype will soon release an app for Windows Phone 8.1 that will allow users to upgrade their regular calls to video calls and use personal assistant Cortana to start Skype calls using voice control. The app will integrate into Windows Phone 8.1, adding a video button to the phone’s standard dialer menu that will activate its camera, turning a cellular call to a Skype video call. Skype will be integrated with Cortana, meaning users won’t need to enter the app before using voice control. Instead, the phrase “Skype, get [insert contact] on video” can be used to start a Skype call from a Windows Phone 8.1’s home screen or menus. Skype says the new app, detailed during Microsoft’s ongoing Build conference in San Francisco, is coming “in the next few months,” but that users will be able to preview the FaceTime-esque video cellphone call feature in Skype’s Store app when the free Windows 8.1 update is rolled out.