Skype support arrives at Alexa later this year

Later this year, you'll be able to say "Alexa, call Mom on Skype" and ask the Digital Assistant of Amazon to do what you need with Microsoft's email network.

Microsoft and Amazon have worked to integrate their technology. At the beginning of the year, Cortana and Alexa gained the ability to talk (with some limitations), and the Skype integration is another sign of cooperation between the two companies.

Any Alexa-enabled device supports voice calls, and hardware with screens and cameras, such as Echo Show, also supports video calls. Skype support includes SkypeOut support calls to phone numbers and you can also receive incoming calls on Alexa hardware.

In the past, Skype was integrated with all kinds of platforms, especially "smart" TVs. As the Skype platform was modernized and upgraded, Microsoft eliminated most of these integrations: many of them could not use the new Skype network and most did not offer any of them.

But the new modern version of Skype runs on Windows, MacOS and Linux on the desktop, and iOS and Android in the mobile domain. The integration of Alexa is the first third-party device integration to be added, rather than withdrawn, in a while. Of course, the integration of Alexa avoids the problem of updating, because most heavy tasks will be done in the cloud. As such, it should avoid the fate that has hit smart TV integrations.