Skype US Users Can Now Contact 911 and Share Locations With Emergency Services

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 19 February 2022, 01:02 pm

Skype users can now use the video conferencing tool for emergency situations. The company announced that users from the United States can now contact 911 and share their location with emergency services if needed.

The United States is the latest addition to regions with Skype emergency service calls. Up until now, emergency service calling was only available to Skype users in Denmark, Australia, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

Skype U.S. Users Can Contact 911

Skype's move to allow users to call 911 through the app comes with a couple of limitations. But it is important for users who still have an adequate internet connection when they lose access to a cellphone or landline during an emergency.

Under the "Notice & Disclosures" warning that pops up before opting in to location-sharing, Skype cautions that the service does not operate the same as a traditional phone call, according to Engadget.

Also Read: Skype For Business Is Headed To Your Android Or iOS Smartphone

Skype users are encouraged not to make an emergency call through the app when they are outside of their home region because the call could be rerouted somewhere else.

The company also made it clear that a Skype outage, power outage, or internet connection issues in the area could cut off calls in situations where a traditional telephone would still work.

Aside from making 911 calls with Skype, users can also now leave a 5-minute voice message instead of capping off a two minute, according to XDA Developers.

Users will also notice the choice of light or dark mode while they are on a call, can send custom reactions, and have the ability to zoom in or out when they share their screen with another user.

In 2015, U.K. Police tried out crime reporting through Skype. U.K. citizens can contact 999 through the app.

Skype Meet Now Added in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has faced backlash from users because it keeps on adding features in the web browser, but it seems like the company is not planning on stopping anytime soon. Now, the Skype Meet Now panel will be added to Microsoft Edge.

The integration was spotted by a Neowin tipster and Reddit user, u/Leopeva64-2. He spotted the change in the latest Microsoft Edge Canary built.

Users now have a new toggle in the Appearance setting that adds a Skype Meet Now button to the Microsoft Edge omnibar. When you click on the omnibar, it will open a Skype Meet Now panel directly in Microsoft Edge.

Even though the toggle is disabled by default, the latest move by Microsoft will once again spark debates about why a feature like this is integrated into the browser and not offered as an extension that users can download if they want to.

The change also opens up discussions around Microsoft's recommended online communication app, considering that Microsoft Teams has a personal version that competes against the consumer version of Skype.

It is still not known when or if the integration will be released. Microsoft Edge Canary is updated daily, so users will begin to see features appear more frequently before they make their way over to Beta, Dev, and Stable.

The integration is being made available as a part of Microsoft's controlled rollout strategy, so not all users may have it in their Microsoft Edge yet.