The most recent update to the evolving Skype client for Windows Phone brought location sharing, a useful feature if you use Skype for frequent peer to peer messaging.
Users can just tap the '+' sign and instead of sharing a photo, they can choose their position, creating a little map and a hyperlinked address within the chat. Tapping that address brings up a full-screen map and you can then use the up arrow icon near the top to send to the Windows Phone mapping system to get directions to the location.
Interestingly, the Skype team automated the process a bit too, as Senior Developer for Skype on Windows Phone Joel Shea revealed on Twitter:
"Any time someone asks "Where are you?" it will become a link so you can easily send your location!"
Indeed, when using the Windows Phone version (but not desktop), if someone asks 'Where are you?', it comes through as a hyperlink. Tapping it initiates the sharing, with permission, of your location. Sure, this is not a big addition, but it is little Easter egg features like this that can make Skype fun.
Regarding the fact it does not work on the desktop, this is likely due to the numerous new backend features not yet compatible. For instance, sending photos on mobile results in this message "This version of Skype does not support new photo sharing features yet." Instead of the file being saved, users are given a hyperlink to the image, which is hosted on the Skype servers.
However, a new version of Skype for desktop is evidently in the works, as shown a few weeks ago by Rafael Rivera on Twitter and seen in the above screenshot. Skype seems to be moving to another stage where the backend that runs the service is now uniform letting Microsoft create apps with the same experience across platforms.
Skype has the potential to be a unified, all-in-one messenger, and come 2015 that dream may finally be a reality. One thing is certain, the service is getting better.
