What you need to know
- Some Skype users have been spammed with repeated notifications about new features within the app.
- The prompts have appeared as frequently as hourly, according to reports.
- Microsoft is aware of the situation and is working on a fix.
If you use Skype, you may have seen the same notification pop up several times over the last few days. Several online have reported Skype showing a notification once per day that reads “Have you tried… Video chatting anyone, even if they don’t have Skype.” Some have reported notifications as frequently as once per hour, according to Neowin.
Turning off Skype notifications is not an option, as doing so would remove core functionality of the app. The prompt about video chatting anyone is the same category of notification as receiving a call or message. As a result, Skype users have been left to clear the recurring prompt each day or whenever it appears.
Skype is sending this notification once per day. For a communications app to abuse notifications in this way is unconscionable. Of course I can’t turn them off. I just have to endure the abuse. Absolute shame on Skype and Microsoft. pic.twitter.com/VxAHLhR57yAugust 19, 2023
Microsoft and the Skype team are aware of the issue and working on a fix, so the notification shouldn’t bug people much longer.
“Hello Skypers, we apologize for the repeated push notifications you may have received in the past few days. We are aware of this issue and are actively working to resolve it as soon as possible,” said the official X account for Skype. “We will update you on the progress and when the fix is in place.”
Analysis: Accidental Skype spam
Skype is not as popular as WhatsApp or other communication platforms, but there are still quite a few people who use it. Many members of our team, including myself, have been critical of Skype in the past. Studying how Microsoft mishandled Skype over the years is a crash course on how to ruin a once-popular application.
Patience with buggy apps is rare in general, but it’s especially uncommon among those who have had to put up with Skype over the years. Microsoft spamming notifications about new features is an annoyance that may push people over the edge. People I know that use Skype only have an account because they have to in order to stay in touch with certain people. If issues like this one drive a few people away from Skype, their friend groups will likely follow.
