Skype goes iOS 9: Split View mode means you can use a second app on the same screen

Skype is the latest in a line of apps to introduce support for Apple’s iOS 9, and the Microsoft-owned platform now has a handful of extra features to boast about.

Almost a month to the day since Skype rolled out a fairly chunky redesign of its mobile apps, Skype 6.3 for iPad and iPhone now sports “Slide Over” and “Split View” — key features in the new iOS 9 software. With Slide Over, users can pick a second app to interact with, and with Split View enabled they can elect to display the two side-by-side, and resize them accordingly.

This basically means you can use Skype and another app at the same time on the same screen, saving you from switching between the two. This makes it easier to share content such as links to locations or photos.

Above: Skype for iPad: Sharing Content

Elsewhere in Skype 6.3, you can now reply to Skype messages from a notification on the lock screen. And you can also initiate a new Skype chat directly from Apple’s Spotlight search feature. All you do is search for a username and, if they’re one of your Skype contacts, it will show up in the search results and you can click to launch into a conversation.

Today’s launch comes just a few days after Skype introduced Android Wear support, letting users check notifications, reply to chats, and accept calls from their wrist.