Skype Chats Get End-to-End Encryption: Everything You Need to Know

WhatsApp-level end-to-end encryption for messages now comes to Microsoft’s messaging app, Skype.

Microsoft Skype on an Android Tablet. 

(Photo: iStock)

In the age of growing concerns over privacy, Microsoft’s Skype has finally made it to the “secured” party, albeit a little late. The platform, famous for its widely-used video-calling facility, now finally comes with end-to-end encryption.

This feature has been the backbone of security for WhatsApp over the years and continues to be so even today.

The end-to-end encryption (E2EE) standard ensures that messages, videos or even photos shared by one person can only be accessed by the sender and the receiver. Not even WhatsApp is capable of reading the content of the messages sent, something that’s even helped platforms like Telegram and Signal.

The Skype E2EE standards are expected to work across varied devices and platforms like Windows, Android, iOS, Mac OS and even Linux. Microsoft has primarily focused on Skype for video and audio calling between people living in different parts of the world, but with WhatsApp entering that space, E2EE was a feature it couldn’t afford to ignore anymore.

The feature is active for users but unlike on WhatsApp or Telegram where all the messages are E2EE, with Skype you can select which conversations to secure. Here’s how it works on Skype:

1. Go to Compose and select New Private Conversation.
2. You can also click on the user profile and go private with the chat.
3. An Invite to chat privately will be sent to the receiver, who may accept or reject it.
4. Once accepted, the chats with this person will be secured with E2EE protection.

Skype, however, seems to have some basic limitations for the E2EE protection that are worth knowing.

1. You can only take part in one private chat per device at a time.
2. You can switch the chat from one device to another.
3. But the contents of the chat are limited to the device in use.

Skype was previously offering basic level of encryption for content shared on its platform, but with E2EE, it’ll be hoping that more people jump ship from WhatsApp to its varied platform mediums.

With more than 200 million active users on its platform, WhatsApp is a front-runner in its segment and Skype will be hoping to catch up with various improvements in the coming years.