They’re browser based meeting applications that you can use to join Skype for Business meetings if you don’t have the Skype for Business Desktop (or other client) available. Microsoft refer to both the Web App and Meetings App as downloadable clients. I think the Skype Meetings App would fall into this category for a lot of organisations. But that’s not to say we shouldn’t review any new functionality and enable it in due course if we deem it to be of benefit. It’s understandable that when new features are introduced by way of cumulative updates they’re not enabled by default – no administrator wants unintended change. I guess the purpose of this post is to help shine a light on the new Meeting App client, because if I’m honest, I haven’t come across a single on-premises deployment where it’s been enabled in place of the Web App.
For on-premises users however, the Web App client will continue to be used until you specify otherwise. Lets refer to them as Web App (old) and Meetings App (new). Any meetings scheduled using Skype for Business Online now use the Meetings App by default. What's more, Microsoft has also deprecated Skype in recent months, having closed down Skype for Business last year in a stronger push towards the adoption of Microsoft Teams.Back in May 2017 we were introduced to the Skype Meetings App as part of Cumulative Update 5 – an alternative option for clientless users to join meetings through a browser instead of using the traditional Skype Web App. Microsoft has already integrated Teams into Windows 11, where the app can be accessed with one single click on a taskbar shortcut.
Given the increasing popularity of Microsoft Teams, it is a little surprising to see that the company is still pushing Skype instead of the app that's catching momentum with consumers and organizations alike. In the meantime, the feature is still only available in Edge Canary, with no word on when it might make its way to the stable version.
However, for people who do get it, it will be interesting to see if they will appreciate the new feature or if they will regard it as yet another example of bloat that the browser could have done without. Like most experimental features in Edge Canary, the Skype integration is likely to be a controlled release, which means not all users will get it on their devices at the same time.
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