Skype Group Video Calling Comes Out of Beta and Goes Premium

Skype just launched the next update of its client software for windows and while there is little new in this version, the company did move the group video calling feature it introduced just a few months ago behind the premium firewall. Users who want to host video conferences with multiple users will need to get a subscription to Skype Premium ($8.99/month) or get a day pass ($4.99/day).

This move doesn’t come as a surprise. When the company announced this feature last year, it already stated that it would start charging for it sooner or later. These group video calls allow users to host between 3 and 10 people in a video chat room. To use this service, only the person who starts the group chat needs to pay for this premium feature. Everybody else on the call can just use the service for free.

Skype is also bringing group video calls to users of its business version, which gives corporations more control over how employees use the service.

For now, group video calling is only available on Windows machines. Skype hasn’t yet announced when it plans to bring this feature to the Mac.

More Skype News

It’s obviously been a very busy day for Skype. Not only did the company announce the acquisition of mobile video streaming service Qik, but Skype also just announced that its software will soon allow users on Verizon’s 4G LTE network to make mobile video calls.