The second update for Skype for Business on Mac will be available later today. We continue to add to the client on a regular cadence and encourage you to download the latest client when available. This release includes the following:
- Audio calls now support desktop sharing
- VbSS viewing for Office 365 online users
- Single Windows Mode for 2013 Server users
- Several other improvements for the client
Sharing for audio calls. The ability to share desktops in P2P communications has been asked for by many Mac users. As part of our first step to get this feature enabled, we have enabled sharing during an audio call. In the first image, the Mac client has shared their desktop during an audio call. The second image shows the same share from a Windows client perspective. We know there is more to do and it’s on our roadmap to further enhance this experience.
VbSS Viewing for Office 365 Users. In September 2015, we announced VbSS and added this improved form of sharing to the Windows client. Over the course of the last year we have enabled many of our clients. And now, it’s available for the Skype for Business on Mac client. This mode of sharing performs better, supports higher frame rates, and the setup time is faster than RDP (our original approach to sharing). In this release, we have specifically enabled viewing using VbSS. If others share using VbSS, the Mac client will also use VbSS to view. If the Mac user wants to share their desktop, they will use RDP to share. We also have VbSS sharing on our futures roadmap and will let you know when that is enabled.
Single Windows Mode for Lync 2013 Server users. This has been a very popular ask by many of our customers. This allows the user to see their active IM conversations in a single window (with tabs). We have now added this feature for Lync 2013 Server customers. You will just need to enable the policy “EnableIMAutoArchiving” to enable for users on this release.
For a complete list of improvements to the client, please be sure to read the release notes that come with this update. Customers can choose to download the latest client from the download center. Those who already have the client can use the Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) to get the latest.
Paul Cannon, Skype Product Marketing Manager