Microsoft is releasing an update for Skype on Android that will make it more optimized for older versions of Android and provides better audio and video quality for lower-end devices. The optimizations are made for phones running on Android 4.0.3 to 5.1 and Microsoft has added that it will be lighter on disk and memory consumption.
This is similar to what Google is doing with its Android Go program, offering a lite version of Android and Google Apps which are made for phones that have entry-level processors and lower capacity RAM and storage. They will also work well when the data connection is weak making it easier for those that purchase entry-level phones to join the Google ecosystem. Google and Microsoft are not the only ones that are releasing lightweight versions of their apps, as Facebook has released lite versions of Facebook and Messenger followed by Twitter that did the same with their app.
No changelog has been provided on the upcoming update, but Microsoft has mentioned that the update will be rolled out worldwide in the next couple of weeks.
