Skype today announced a new feature called active endpoint that ensures you only receive chat notifications on the device that you are currently using. The Microsoft-owned company says the new functionality is rolling out “over the next few weeks,” and all you have to do is make sure that your devices have the latest versions of Skype.
In other words, if you’ve ever used the communication app on multiple devices and been frustrated by getting multiple sounds and vibrations for every single message, you’ll be happy to learn that will soon be an annoyance of the past. Skype understands your frustration:
Plink. Plink. Ring. Beep. Beep. Beep. ENOUGH! You don’t need your phone to tell you there’s a new message that’s right in front of your face on your computer screen.
If you use Skype on one device at a time, your experience will not change. If, however, you are signed into Skype on any combination of smartphones, tablets, and/or computers, but you are only using one of them, Skype will now only send new message notifications to that device, and not the rest.
All your other devices will stay quiet as you chat. If you stop using all your devices, they will all get notifications so it doesn’t matter which one you pick up to use Skype. When you start using Skype again, notifications will go back to only being to that device. This way, you hopefully won’t miss anything important but you also won’t be annoyed.
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It’s also worth noting that the on-and-off chat notifications doesn’t affect your chat history. It will still be synced across all your devices so you can continue your conversation from all of them.
Finally, you should know that this change only applies to chat notifications. Call notifications will still be sent to all devices, “so you can answer on whichever gadget you prefer, not just the one you’re closest to” Skype explains.
I honestly can’t wait for this feature. One of the reasons I don’t bother being signed into Skype everywhere is that multiple simultaneous notifications drives me up the wall. This feature/fix was long overdue.
See also – Skype makes group video calling free on Windows, Mac, and Xbox One; coming to all platforms ‘in the future’ and Microsoft launches Skype for Outlook.com worldwide, adds Safari for Mac support and HD video calling for PCs
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