The new version of Outlook’s iOS and Android apps lets users schedule group calls with friends and colleagues using Skype.
Released last week, the new Skype integration gives users the option to add a Skype Call when they are creating a new event on their calendar.
When you click the Skype Call toggle, Outlook includes a Skype link in the description of the event.
Then, when your scheduled meeting time arrives, recipients simply click the link in their calendar to launch Skype and join the conversation.
In a blog post, the Outlook Team said: “It can be challenging keeping up with friends, family and colleagues. Finding a time that works for everyone and remembering to show up is difficult enough.
“And then sometimes technology gets in the way: “How do I find you? How do I invite you? Do you have this app installed?”
This feature, like the recently released Skype for Web, lets people join the call even if they don’t have a Skype account or the Skype app downloaded.
This new development from Skype lets users invite people to join a chat, simply by sharing a unique link.
These links can be sent through existing communication platforms like email, Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger and Twitter.
And the new Outlook feature is similar to a recent partnership between Slack and Skype, which lets users call contacts directly from the team collaboration platform.