Major sections are listed at the top of the app and can be changed with a swipe to the right or left. Those who have used Skype on other platforms will instantly recognize the changes Skype 5.0 brings the same modern interface to the iPhone that Microsoft has already introduced on Android and Windows Phone. Related to the speed improvements is smoother navigation, which makes using the app faster and easier with just a swipe of a thumb or finger.

Skype 4.17 was no slouch in these areas, but consistently felt a half second slower than its replacement.

In terms of using the app, Skype 5.0 also feels noticeably snappier (cue the Safari jokes), with recent chats and contact information pages loading nearly instantly. That’s not huge for those who only use the app occasionally, but frequent Skype users will appreciate the improvement. On our test iPhone 5s, a cold launch of Skype 4.17 takes about 5 seconds, while a cold launch of Skype 5.0 takes just over 1 second. In terms of performance, however, everyone who launches the new app will notice the difference. Depending on how you use Skype, some of the changes in Skype 5.0 may not be important to all users.

Skype for iphone