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Skype adds photo sharing to its iPhone, iPad apps

The latest update to Skype's iOS app throws in photo sharing and a few other improvements.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Skype users can now send and receive photos via the latest update to the Internet communication service's iOS app.

Available in Apple's App Store as of today, Skype version 4.1 kicks in a few enhancements. But the most notable one is Photo Share.

You can grab an existing photo from your iPhone or iPad gallery -- or snap a new one -- and then IM that photo to friends and family via Skype. The company says there's no size limit on the photo. So this is one way to bypass the file attachment limitations often imposed by e-mail providers.

Just tap on the name of contact with whom you want to share your photo. The contact must be set up for instant messaging. Tap on the Send Photo button and choose whether to use an existing photo or take a new one. Compose your message, and then click the Send button.

If your contact is online, the message and photo are sent on their way; otherwise the message is pending until the person logs into Skype.

Your Skype IM contacts can send you their photos in return

The latest update also makes Skype less of a drain on the battery, according to the company, so iOS users can potentially keep Skype turned on all day. The app and the contact list also load a bit faster.