Skype for Mac has just received an update to version 5.2. The new update mainly brings support for screen sharing in group video calls. Despite the irritation that many hold over Skype’s new design, it’s refreshing to me to see that they are still actively working on the project.
Skype added screen sharing to the Mac client back in 2009, but up until now it has only worked during one-on-one calls. This utter lack of screen sharing in multi-person conference calls has been the frustration of many users. Fortunately, the concern is now resolved.
The new functionality is an additional video to the group calling mechanism that was already in place within Skype. One unfortunate aspect of this change is that it requires at least one person in each conference to have a Skype Premium subscription, meaning that free users have been left in the dust.
Additionally, Skype has apparently listened to the feedback from Mac users and has made it easier for users to be on a video call, while still accessing other programs on their computer.