Skype desktop app gets background blurring in video calls

2 min. read

Published on February 7, 2019

published on February 7, 2019

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After introducing background blur on video in Microsoft Teams last year, Microsoft is bringing the same AI-powered feature to its Skype desktop app. The purpose of background blur is to help your correspondents focus on you during video calls, and to block any potential distractions coming from your environment.

“Background blur in Skype and Teams uses artificial intelligence (AI)—trained in human form detection—to keep you in focus during your call,” the Skype team explained. “This technology is also trained to detect your hair, hands, and arms, making a call with background blur just as relaxed and easy as a regular video call.”

During a video call, you can turn on background blur by hovering over the video button. The feature is only available on desktop for now, and the team didn’t say if this feature will eventually come to mobile.

It’s important to note that the feature may not be 100% reliable. “We do our best to make sure that your background is always blurred, but we cannot guarantee that your background will always be blurred,” the team said. As a result, it’s probably best to always clean your room before starting that important Skype video call.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.