Skype rolls out ‘Meet Now’ calls that don’t need a a sign-up or installation

With people forced out of their offices and schools to avoid spreading coronavirus, there are more video calls going on than ever. However, a significant chunk of the action has gone to Zoom, and not Skype, Microsoft’s product that has been at the center of online voice and video chats since well before smartphones were commonplace. That’s mostly because Zoom has made sharing meetings and the necessary software so easy — perhaps too easy, with some security and privacy compromises — but Skype is finally ready to fight back with “Meet Now.”

With Meet Now, hosts can create and share a free meeting with just three clicks, according to the company. Even the host doesn’t need to have Skype installed — you can start the process from its website right here — and then invite people either using a simple link or the share button. If the person you’re inviting has Skype installed then it will open the app directly to the call, and if not then it will open the web client that works in Chrome or Edge.

Zoom has already made some changes and pledged more to address its issues — we’ll see if this setup helps Skype claw back any users who’ve already gotten used to using competitor’s software for their meetings.