We had earlier shared that Microsoft is working on bringing end to end encryption to its Skype app on all platforms. Today the company is pushing out a new update for its Skype app for Windows Desktop.
The latest Skype update now lets users to have calls and chats in private which will be end to end encrypted. The End to End encryption option is being called as “Private Conversations”, the data which is kept private via the end to end encryption and is not shared to public.
The Skype team has made the encryption possible by using the Signal Protocol by Open Whisper Systems. Currently this feature is only being rolled out to Skype users who have enrolled as Insiders for iOS, Android, Mac, Linux and Windows Desktop.
The feature is currently not being rolled out to the UWP Skype app for Windows 10 Mobile, but we should see it getting the feature in a wider roll out after successful testing by the Skype Team. The feature is available with latest version 8.13.76.8.
The Private Conversations chat is encrypted not only for chats but also for text messages, audio calls and also other types of files. However you will be able to have a Private Conversation with only two people for now and from a single device at a time.
Switching the conversation to any other device will keep the messages you send tied to the earlier device used for chatting, meaning the chats encrypted will not be transferred to another device if the chat is with the same person.
