Today we're happy to release SkypeKit 3.7. It’s the final SkypeKit 3x SDK release. From now on, only SkypeKit 4.x will be actively developed further and the next major releases will all be based on that.

You can download the SDK and order specific configurations based on chipset, OS, and media integration options from the download page. Each runtime you order will be available for download by everyone in your organization account.

Download SkypeKit

The 3.7 release contains mostly bug fixes, including the re-introduction of the Android reference client.

See the release notes for a full list of bug fixes and known issues.

We’re pleased to announce the release of the Skype Encoding Camera Extension Unit (SkypeECXU) software library source code.

The SkypeECXU library compliments the Skype Encoding Camera Specification (SECS).
These specifications enable software developers to add video calling capabilities to their applications or create real-time streaming video devices, such as webcams that connect directly to the Internet, to send video calls to any Skype user.

Learn more and download the library

If you are embedding SkypeKit into a hardware product*, you'll need to submit it to our Certification Lab before you can obtain your distribution key pair and list it in the Skype Shop.

Skype spends a tremendous amount of time ensuring that our Desktop and Mobile clients provide the best audio and video experience possible for the given bandwidth conditions.  To ensure that a user can expect these same standards even when they are calling via Skype on a partner’s product, we created the Skype Certification Program. 

The Skype Developer website describes the certification process and provides links to:

* Summaries of the required/preferred audio and video standards

* A guide to designing your UI and providing an appropriate level of functionality and user experience

* A guide to packaging your product with the “plugged into Skype” logo

* The actual test specifications—including those for the actual test environment and the expected results

If you’re developing a TV-based product, be sure to see the Applicable Requirements page under Design for TV.

Need more help?  Visit the forum.

*The definition of a hardware device can be found in the SkypeKit License Agreement.

Today we're pleased to release SkypeKit 4.1.

You can download the SDK and order specific configurations based on chipset, OS, and media integration options from the download page. Each runtime you order will be available for download by everyone in your organization account.

Download SkypeKit

SkypeKit 4.1 includes a new Java wrapper, a new default database path, some changes to the API for call quality indicators, and some bug fixes.

See the release notes for a full list of bug fixes and known issues.

New Java wrapper

The SkypeKit 4.1 SDK and runtimes support two Java "wrappers" — the old wrapper from SkypeKit 3.6 that supports all existing SkypeKit runtimes, and a new wrapper.

Follow-on releases to SkypeKit 3.6 will continue to support the old wrapper, and will incorporate necessary bug fixes. However, the next SkypeKit 4.x release will deprecate the old wrapper, and follow-on SkypeKit 4.x releases will not support the old wrapper at all.

Read more about the new Java wrapper

Getting the user experience right is key to a successful product – and we’re here to help. The Skype Developer Program has written guidelines to help developers and designers create great user experiences.

The Skype user experience (UX) guidelines provide a wealth of knowledge that:

* Helps you assess your users’ needs and determine how best to meet them

* Presents platform independent, Skype-specific UI tips and strategies

* Provides Skype task-specific guidance, such as how to create a new Skype account, sign in, or call a phone or mobile device

* Details Skype terms, phrases,  suggested error messages, and suggested call quality messages

* Skype on your TV – Specific guidelines for TVs and understanding the audio and video complexities of the “living room” environment.

Want to share your own best practices and get tips from other developers and designers? Check out the user experience section on the developer forum to start a discussion about your own research and innovations.

A year ago when I started as the SDP Community Manager, my goal was to build a lively forum that was responsive and recognised developers for supporting the rest of the community.

In the first six months since we launched the SkypeKit program, the forum has become a valuable resource to find support.  One out of four members are active on a monthly basis and have contributed over 3600 posts. With the help of both Skype engineers and forum members, most posts are replied to within a few hours.

The more you share your knowledge in the forum, the higher your answers will rank and the more privileges you will be given. I'd like to thank JoshuaElliot and TheUberOverlord for going above and beyond to make the Skype Developer forum a success. I'd also like to welcome our newest Super User, Skype4Hao.

If you’ve got questions about integrating Skype into your desktop application or embedded device, visit the forum and see if anyone else has asked a similar question. If not, you can be the first!

My top tips

• Search for a solution before you post your question
• Post in a board that’s relevant to your question
• Reporting a problem? Tell us which wrapper, operating system and runtime you are using, include versions
• Include outputs from the runtimes where appropriate as this could be important
• If your query has been answered, give Kudos to all posts which help fix your issues and accept as a solution the post that directly helped you
• If your SkypeKit runtime unexpectedly exits or does something you weren’t expecting, create a log using the –r flag and upload it to the log manager before you post

Today, we updated the Skype Developer website to more clearly articulate the development process from concept to commercialization for both SkypeKit and the Desktop API.

We’ve created four distinct programs based around the Skype technology that suits your needs - SkypeKit or the Desktop API - and the platform that you’re building on - either software or embedded hardware.

Each of your apps has been migrated into “projects” that outline the steps for developing a Skype-enabled product. Get started by visiting “My Tools & Downloads” to see a list of all your projects, to create a new project, or to access your tools and downloads.

All existing members of the SkypeKit Developer program will be added to both the SkypeKit for Embedded and SkypeKit for Desktop programs, while new members will have the option of joining one or both programs.

We’ve also added the Desktop API for Software and Desktop API for Hardware programs to our developer forum. The old Desktop API forum, located in the Skype Support Network, will continue to be available but is read-only. 

Since we launched the Skype Developer program in June 2011, we have sent all news using our email newsletter. We have listened to your feedback and are giving you more control over where and when you receive Skype Developer communications. 

All news will be available on the forum under "Skype Developer News":

• RSS updates
• Email subscription
• Immediate, daily, weekly or monthly updates
• Get the news & any comments from the community
• Share news with your friends via twitter directly from the article
• Bookmark and share the news via most popular social networking sites  (over 300 to choose from)
• HTML or rich text options available
• Get the whole news article or just the subject

Change how you receive your Skype Developer news now

For RSS : copy and paste our RSS feed address into the newsreader of your choice. If you have RSS enabled web browser you can click the address below and subscribe this way.

http://devforum.skype.com/skyped/rss/board?board.id=News

Note: Chrome users will not be able to read the Skype Developer RSS feed unless they have a third party RSS reader or install the RSS Subscription Extension available from the Google web store.

For email :

1.  Visit our Skype Developer news blog
2. On the upper left corner, choose “Blog options”.
3. Choose “Subscribe”.

If you have any questions please visit our website FAQs here : http://devforum.skype.com/t5/Website-FAQs/bd-p/WebFAQs

For a full list of features and improvements in SkypeKit 4.02, please visit the release notes

In the next few days, SkypeKit Developer Program members will be able to download SkypeKit 4.02 Developer Preview and try out new technologies for desktop applications, including support for video on Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop runtimes. This preview is intended to give developers a head start in developing video applications on the desktop and to gather developer feedback on our video implementation. Given that this Developer Preview is subject to change, with features being added and/or removed, SkypeKit for Embedded Hardware developers are encouraged to continue working with SkypeKit 3 Beta as we are working hard to release a gold version of this by early 2012.SkypeKit 4 Beta will be available for users in early 2012 and maturing to gold later in the year.

The new App Directory is now available from Skype clients and gives your application visibility to over 170 million connected users every month and growing!

The App Directory comes with a built in review and rating system that users can use to rate your applications, which we then highlight on the front of the App Directory to help users get to the most popular apps quickly.

You can also promote offers for your application through the App Directory to help attract new users to your application.

If you haven’t already then submit your app now!

We have put together some submission guidelines to help you prepare you app for submission to the directory.

If you have any further questions please see the FAQ’s we have published or post in the forum.

Hi all,

Next week we'll be changing the permissions in the forum to make it read only for everyone, including members of the public and search engines. Users will need to be registered to be able to post in the forum.

These changes will serve to make it easier for you to find answers using popular search engines as well as help cultivate our community.

The above changes will take effect on Tuesday, 4th October.

If you have any concerns about these change please contact us.

We are pleased to announce that we have just released SkypeKit 3.5.

You can download the SDK and order specific configurations based on chipset, OS, and media integration options from the download page. Each runtime you order will be available for download by everyone in your organization account.

Summary of changes:

• The python wrapper is now available online.
• Missing object references to the calling object have been added as arguments to several listener class callback methods. This makes it possible to easily reference, which object was causing the event to fire. See change log for a full list of modified methods.
• We have added extra logging to the encrypted logs to detect issues with IPC connections.
• New Voice Quality Engine log files, that will help identify and debug audio related problems.

Full Release notes for SkypeKit 3.5

With SkypeKit 3.5 we’ve improved the IPC logging in the encrypted logs. To help you make use of these logs we are also pleased to announce the launch of a new web-based log analyzer tool. Using the log analyzer, you can upload log files and view the results to help spot IPC, TLS connection and other errors.

The log visualizer is a graphical representation of key metrics that are recorded to ensure the crisp Skype quality our users expect. These metrics include CPU usage, jitter, and much more.

The log reporter shows relevant information on calls, user interaction (UI) events and resource usage.

To try it out simply visit the link below (sign in required) and upload a log file. We’ll email you once your log has been processed so you can view the results. Everyone in your organization account will also be able to see them.

Please follow the steps below to ensure the log file contains the relevant information. It will also help keep the log file size to a minimum.

1. Start the SkypeKit runtime with logging enabled (flag -d).
2. Connect your client and any voice / video hosts.
3. Reproduce the issue or call once.
4. Shutdown SkypeKit.
5. Upload the log file.

Please note that we updated the SkypeKit licence agreement on August 30, 2011, and the distribution terms on August 25, 2011.

The Skype Developer team

Follow us on Twitter @SkypeDeveloper or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SkypeDeveloper

SkypeKit developers can now download the latest set of Skype emoticons from the Skype GUI Assets page!

The new emoticons are available in sizes from 20x20 pixels to 80x80 pixels as both static and animated PNG files, and include both updates to current emoticons and new emoticons such as facepalm, lalala, and TMI.

These new emoticons replace the previous 19x19 pixels set of static PNG and animated GIF files, which are no longer available for download.

We're pleased to announce a new account feature for developer.skype.com - users can now belong to more than one organization account, useful for those of you doing work for more than one group or company, or for those who may have signed up separately but would like to all belong to the same account.

If you're an account admin, you can invite a user into your account. They'll receive an email invitation they'll need to accept to join.

You can become a member of more than one account by being invited into another account, or by creating a new account.

If you'd like to merge accounts, simply invite your colleagues into your organization's main account - giving them access to your company's runtimes and apps.

If you belong to more than one account, you'll be prompted to choose which one you'd like to sign in with when you log in to developer.skype.com. You can change this at any time with a drop-down menu that will appear in the upper right corner of your web page, listing the accounts you're a member of.

Remember, runtimes and key pairs must be requested and generated from within the same account. You may also have different access permissions depending on what account you're signed in with.

The Skype Developer team

Hi all,

Today we're pleased to release SkypeKit 3.4.

You can download the SDK and order specific configurations based on chipset, OS, and media integration options from the download page.

Each runtime you order will be available for download by everyone in your organization account.

SkypeKit 3.4 reduces the time required to build your runtimes and includes a series of bug fixes, specifically a new debug function for the C++ wrapper and an improvement to flash storage wear.

See the release notes for a full list of bug fixes and known issues.

The SkypeKit Team

Late last year, the number of internet connected devices passed the 5 billion mark according to IMS research. It was around that time that the analyst firm predicted we'd connect 22 billion devices by 2020. So, what will be different about the next 17 billion devices? Video. When you talk about connecting devices to the internet, we want you to think about a lot more than that. Think about the possibilities to connect people - you and me - with devices as the conduit.

With that in mind, today we're thrilled to announce that SkypeKit - our collection of software and APIs that allow Internet-connected devices to offer Skype voice and video calls - is now open to the broader development community. With SkypeKit, we believe the possibilities for 'video anywhere' are truly endless and we know that for this next wave of connected devices, video will be a critical component. In fact, with the consumer electronics products developed through SkypeKit, talking to friends and colleagues around the world on a variety of consumer devices becomes as seamless as talking to them across a kitchen table or a conference room.

Visit the blog for more

SkypeKit 3.1 was for development purposes only and is no longer available on developer.skype.com. To commercialize a product, you must use either a 3.2 or 3.3 SDK and request a distribution key pair for your app. 

Remember, if you're creating a hardware product, you'll need to pass certification before you can distribute your product.

We always recommend that partners use the latest version of SkypeKit. Please check the release notes for differences in these versions.

All video-enabled desktop (Windows and Mac) runtimes are unavailable for the 3.2 and 3.3. releases. We are in process of a major overhaul of how desktop video rendering is handled. Desktop video will be reintroduced in an upcoming version.

The Skype Developer Team is very pleased to announce that a new version of the SkypeKit Distribution License is now available.

http://developer.skype.com/skypekit/legal/distribution-terms

Please also review the SkypeKit License Agreement because we've made some important updates to this agreement. In particular, please review the SkypeKit Development Rules at Section 4.

http://developer.skype.com/skypekit/legal/license

In the coming weeks, we will be rolling out more documentation on how to to commercialize your SkypeKit-based product. Please note that all hardware must be certified through the Skype Certification Lab before you can access a distribution key pair. We look forward to seeing the next generation of Skype-enabled applications.

Hi all,

For about the last 30 minutes we have been having some problems with our network. We are investigating the cause of this and I will post updates here as and when they become available.

Hi all,

We have published a poll today which seeks to identify area's of our support offering that you find most useful. You can vote in the poll once you have logged in by going to the forum homepage : http://developer.skype.com/skypekit/forum and clicking the Vote button.

Please vote

Some of you may have problems signing in to Skype and making calls. We’re investigating and hope to have more details to share soon.

I am pleased to announce the launch of the updated Skype developer community forum. The new community form will be the basis for supporting our partners in developing Skype enabled products faster. It will be a powerful resource which will help partners identify answers and solutions to questions about SkypeKit development quickly and efficiently.

Some of the features of the new forum :

• Track down answers to questions by searching solutions accepted by other partners
• Give Kudos to recognise good answers
• Make feature requests on our ideas board
• Easy identification of Skype staff and moderators through profile pages
• and much more

• A new content rating system (Kudos)
• User Profiles
• User Ranks and Roles
• Easy identification of Skype Staff / Moderators and Super Users
• Social Media Integration
• Feature Requests (Ideas Board)
• and much more

Today we’re pleased to announce the release of SkypeKit 3.3.

You can download the SDK, and order specific configurations based on chipset, OS, and media integration options, on the Download page. Runtimes you order will be available for download by everyone in your organization account.

This version includes the updated java wrapper, as well as numerous bug fixes. Additionally, SkypeKit is now capable of producing multithreaded core dumps on abnormal exits.

For a full explanation of the improvements, please see the release notes.

As always, if you have any questions, please visit the SkypeKit forum.

- The SkypeKit Team

With the release of SkypeKit Beta 3.2, SkypeKit Runtimes (the standalone applications that deliver Skype services to your own apps) are no longer part of the SkypeKit SDK. Instead, you order your desired configuration (chipset, OS, and media integration options) on the Download page.

Skype builds the SkypeKit Runtimes you order and notifies you by email when they're ready. Runtimes you order are available for download by everyone in your organization account.

To learn more, read SkypeKit Runtimes and Key Pairs in the Development Guide.

As always, if you have questions, please visit the SkypeKit forum.

SkypeKit 3.2 delivers major security enhancements, including custom SkypeKit Runtime builds and authorization keys.

(Regrettably, SkypeKit 3.2 does not include a Java wrapper, and there are not yet video-enabled builds for Windows and Mac. We plan to add these soon.)

There are some major changes to how you access SkypeKit components:

• SkypeKit now provides custom-built SkypeKit Runtime and activation keys. As a result, the way you get these components has changed:
  • STEP 1: DOWNLOAD THE SDK. This works the same as before, however thisSDK version does not contain SkypeKit Runtimes. (In previous versions, they were in the /bin directory.)
  • STEP 2: REQUEST AND DOWNLOAD A SKYPEKIT RUNTIME. Below the SDKdownload (on the same page), you’ll see a new area for SkypeKit Runtimes. If you don’t have any yet, request one by specifying your chipset, OS, and media integration choices. Skype will build the Runtime and notify you when it’s available for download. Once it’s built, anyone in your organization account can download it.
  • STEP 3: REQUEST AND DOWNLOAD A SKYPEKIT KEYPAIR: In previous versions of SkypeKit Beta, all beta testers shared the same application token. Now, go to the Account > Apps & Keypairs page to define your own app and then order a development key pair (certificate) for it. Your key pair will be used to encrypt traffic between your client application and SkypeKit Runtime. For instructions on how to submit the key pair in your client application, see the newQuick Start Guide. Developer key pairs expire in 60 days from their creation. Upon expiration, you can order a new one.
    

     

For more details on SkypeKit 3.2, please see the release notes.

If you have questions about SkypeKit 3.2, please visit the SkypeKit 3.2 forum thread.

Today we released Hotfix 2 for SkypeKit Beta 3.1.

Download SkypeKit Beta 3.1 Hotfix 2

This hotfix includes numerous bug fixes and improvements. Of particular note is better garbage collection in the C++ language wrapper library. For a full explanation of the improvements, please see the release notes.

Note 1: The Java language wrapper reference documentation is not included in this hotfix distribution. However, you may download the up-to-date Java reference from the Reference section of the SkypeKit Development Guide.

Note 2: The QT video tutorial included in this distribution is not working. We will post a fix for this (and a blog post about it here) in the coming days.

As always, if you have any questions, please visit the SkypeKit forum.

--The SkypeKit Team