skype linksWhenever I need to connect with someone new over Skype, I can never remember my Skype username. Is it my Outlook.com email address, the one that’s also my Twitter handle, or just my name? Well, Microsoft announced today that is eliminating the need for me to send over my username just to start a Skype conversation.

In the latest version of Skype for Windows, Mac and the web, users can hit the +New button on a call to quickly send a link to a friend. That friend doesn’t need to download any software or even have an account to get in on the conversation either, thanks to Skype’s new web-based calling.

https://youtu.be/Ojly8VCTLGE

Instead, users just type in a name and are taken right to the conversation, where they can instant message, voice chat or video chat. And if they have Skype downloaded to their device, they can join a conversation in the native application. The only restriction is that mobile users need to have the Skype application downloaded to get in on the conversation.

Right now, the link feature is restricted to the U.S. and U.K., and only iOS and Android for mobile devices, but Microsoft plans on expanding it to the rest of the world in the coming weeks.

Update: Turns out this isn’t coming from the Microsoft Garage team. References to Garage have been removed.

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