Skype will now appear as an option when tapping a phone number on your device.

Better late than never goes the saying and that is what I'm tempted to say about Skype for Android which finally supports Android call intents. In Android, an intent is what allows an app to use another app component to achieve a task. How does that apply to Skype and particularly this update? 

Microsoft updated Skype for Android with the ability to initiate a call by tapping a phone number in a browser or inside an app. From now on, Skype will be among the apps listed when you tap a phone number alongside other apps installed on your Android device. Similar to when you tap on an email address and your device will show all available email apps for you to choose from which app and account you want to send your email. 

This is a great feature provided you have Skype credits. In order to make calls to landline or mobile phones from Skype, you must buy credits to do so and $10 is the cheapest value you can buy; which is quite cheap.

This update also includes the usual bug fixes and other improvements. Download/update Skype in Google Play Store.

AirDroid lets you reply to messages directly in notification on Android devices running 7.0 & above.

Chances are that, like me, you use multiple screens at home – like your PC attached to a secondary screen. This comes in handy when multi-tasking. Today, thanks to apps like AirDroid, it is now possible to similarly use your Windows PC or Mac to interact with your Android phone or tablet. When paired with your Android device, AirDroid will mirror your calls, SMS and emails on the bigger screen so you won’t have to reach out for your phone. A great productivity feature as you’ll be able to use the full keyboard and mouse to interact with your Android device. And wirelessly transferring files between your PC and device is faster. Additionally, you can do this without spending a dim.

AirDroid has a whole lot of features. Besides notifications mirroring for replying to messages, AirDroid lets you backup photos and videos from the phone to the computer; manage phone contacts from the desktop; record screenshot; locate your phone when it’s lost and remotely access the phone cameras. The latter feature is available via AirDroid web client only. The latest update adds some more features.

Version v4.1.6.0 improves the reliability and smoothness of AirMirror. Users will also be able to reply to messages directly from the notification area on the phone provided you have Android 7.0 and above.

Here’s the rest of the change log:

·       Show touches in screen recording.

·       Improved device connection reliability.

·       Other bug fixes and improvements.

Like I said above, AirDroid is a free powerful tool I strongly recommend to access and manage your phone from your PC. Check it out in Google Play Store.