Almost anyone can now chat on Skype - without the need to sign up for an account, courtesy of a new feature that Microsoft has integrated into Skype, with the aim of attracting more users to use the instant messaging system.
This latest feature is available in Skype for Windows and Skype for Mac, and largely available to users in the US and UK, even though it will become available to other users in other countries over the next few weeks.
Users will be able to invite other people to chat with them over Skype by sharing a unique link, but the link will not require the invited persons to create a Skype account before they can chat with their inviter or a group of persons within a chat-room.
"Today, we're excited to announce something new - a small change that will make a big difference to how people use Skype every day," says Microsoft. "We've started to roll out the ability for users to invite anyone to join a Skype chat by sharing a unique link - send it however you want, in an email, on Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger or Twitter."
All a user need do to invite someone else to join a chat session is to click on the "Add People" button marked by a +New button. This will activate a unique link that can be shared to people via Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, or email among other options.
The invited individual will click on the link sent to him and then be taken to the Skype for Web interface, where they have to enter only their name and then start chatting away. Microsoft revealed the link can also be shared with people using Android and iOS devices, but this mobile option will only be available later.
With this latest Skype chat feature, friends and family can be invited up for a chat session if they are scattered over different regions, but then it will also be great for business executives who need to connect with multiple employees or business partners and customers over any issues. There won't be any need to download the Skype client to a PC before a new user starts to chat away.