The Skype app is getting a bump to v5.5 today, and it comes with a pair of improvements. No, it's not going material—you can't have everything. What you do get is a faster way to sign in and link previews in chat.

image01-android_5-5_signin

image03-android_5-5_linkpreview

Skype asserts that battery usage and notifications in the app are much better these days, so you can stay logged in all the time. In case you think that's nonsense, logging out used to mean having to input your password to get back into the app. As of version 5.5, Skype remembers you on a device, so all you have to do is tap a button to log back in. Don't want that? There's a setting to require the password every time.

The other improvement is more straightforward. Now when someone sends you a link in chat, it will be displayed as a visual preview. In the image above that means a YouTube video, but it should work with lots of content.

Source: Skype Blog