Microsoft starts rolling out Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update and new Skype Preview

Microsoft today started rolling out the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update. This comes a full two weeks after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for PCs came out.

People who are running an earlier version of Windows 10 Mobile can check to see if the Anniversary Update is available by going to Settings > Update & security > Phone update > Check for updates, wrote Michael Fortin, corporate vice president in Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, in a blog post.

The Action Center has been revamped in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update; it now supports rich interactive notifications. You can customize Quick Actions. There are new music controls on the lock screen, as well as a Camera app shortcut. The Messaging app, Edge (swipe for navigation is back), the Windows Phone Store, and Cortana have been revamped as well.

But one of the most significant features in the big Windows 10 Mobile release is the Skype Preview app. In the past few weeks it’s been available to Windows 10 Insiders, and now it’s available for all devices running Windows 10 Mobile.

Above: Skype Preview in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Image Credit: Skype

“If you have already been using Skype, the new Skype Preview should automatically replace your existing Skype app. If this hasn’t happened, you can head to the Windows Phone Store to download Skype Preview for free,” the Skype team wrote in a blog post.

The app supports voice calls, group video calls with up to 24 people, bots, photo sharing, Mojis, a dark theme (although a Light Theme is available), and the ability to reply to messages from notifications. SMS support in the app will arrive later.

Based on unit shipment data from Gartner, Windows Phone had less than 1 percent of market share in the first quarter of 2016, but the company has not given up its mobile platform. More than 350 million devices are now running Windows 10.