Skype for Windows updated to remove Google product bundling

By Tom Warren, on 14th Oct 11 11:21 am with 59 Comments

Skype updated version 5.5 and 5.6 of its Windows product on Friday to remove Google products from the installer.

The removal of Google’s toolbar from the Skype installer comes shortly after the finalization of Microsoft’s Skype deal on Friday. Microsoft announced earlier today that Skype is now officially part of Microsoft under a new division headed by Skype CEO Tony Bates. Skype announced the changes to its Windows product in the release notes section for Skype 5.6.0.110 and 5.5.0.124. The company also addressed some crashes with Microsoft’s Windows 8 developer preview and a memory leak in the Firefox plugin.

Microsoft is now expected to deliver its Windows Phone 7.5 Skype application in the coming weeks. The company previously introduced the Skype app during MIX 2011 earlier this year. Joe Belfiore, who oversees Windows Phone Program Management, introduced a number of new developer related enhancements in Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. “We’re excited to see Skype come to the platform this fall when all these additional enhancements are available,” said Belfiore at the time. The application should be one of the first to take advantage of Microsoft’s new forward facing camera support.

Skype for Windows Phone 7.5

Thanks to @databasejase for spotting the Skype update

  • Anonymous

    it’s begun!!

    • http://twitter.com/majankajan majankajan

      The picture above is the only information that states that the Gameloft’s Gangstar series is set for a new launch on iPhone, iPad and Andriod sometime this fall. Sorry but wp7 is the losers OS

    • Guest

      FO troll.

    • Anonymous

      BEWARE: “majankajan” a.k.a “casandrasdream” is known troll on DISQUS, I advise moderator to take a notice!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pedro-Roque/100000194503830 Pedro Roque

    And google’s response…

    WWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

    • rsgx

      “Just another blatant attack on Google”, they cried.

    • Anonymous

      Don’t forget. This will surely backfire on MS and Skype. :)

    • http://twitter.com/kallanreed Kyle Reed

      troll-lololoooo

    • Anonymous

      by removing crapware? Whats google going to do, block access by all windows machines? That would be suicide.

    • Sarah_gilbert

      They don’t get platform anyways, so it doesn’t matter.

  • mesasr

    Tom, can we have just one paragraph of “related history”? I understand that every article will be smaller that way, but then I think most of Winrumors readers more or less know about the past history anyway, no need for that many details

    • http://twitter.com/viktorgolub Viktor Golub

      yep, there is no need to retell the history every time…

    • the-hq

      I’m pretty sure they do that to get higher google rankings…

    • phil jay

      Absolutely! Or just gray it out a bit so I don’t need to read trough that old stuff again and again.

    • Anonymous

      Or, when you get to the old stuff, just stop reading at the point!

    • DonC

      That’s what I do.

    • rojo

      Agreed! It get’s old.

    • http://www.winrumors.com Tom W

      I think it’s important to have context around articles and history on the products involved. There’s still a large amount of visitors that hit the site that have never visited before. It’s standard format for news articles to ensure the reader is aware of the story they’re reading. I’m working on plans to offer different versions of WinRumors to regular readers and new visitors so that will improve the experience overall alongside new writers and other plans :)

    • Alvaro

      Why don’t you write context in other color, font size or with a subtitle. If you are every day reader (as I am) you know where to stop reading, and if you are new visitor you still have the context to understand the new. Sorry for my bad english.

    • Grannyville7989

      Even though I visit WinRumors regularly, I would rather have the related history at the bottom because there are times when I miss an article or two and it helps put things into context. If I’m fully up to date with what’s going on, I just don’t read the last section of the article. Simples.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JSUY2332FTJA73WWHY3HWXVWHU prathyush

      I think it would be better if there is an indication of whats new and whats a repeat of old stuff. I like having the context but i don’t like it intermingled with new stuff. 

      Currently its not always easy to tell where the new stuff ends. Having headings for example would help i guess (probably not elegant). 

    • Anonymous

      Thus I only read the first paragraph or so of each article

    • J A

      Yes, please highlight related history as such so avvid followers can easily igore it and it can still be readable by those who don’t already know it.

    • Anonymous

      Personally, I can figure out when I reach the recap portion and stop reading there. It doesn’t need to be highlighted for me.

  • http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

    Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!!

  • Owais_503

    skype will be way better then apple’s facetime.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pedro-Roque/100000194503830 Pedro Roque

      Skype IS way better then apple’s facetime.

    • J A

      Hell yeah!! For one, it is cross-platform (and everyone already uses it anyway) unlike FaceTime and iMessage that only works for i-this and i-that only.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UXH5HNCTFSTANWW4BLY777W72Q Chuck

      You are hurting the iDiots’ feelings!

  • http://thommck.wordpress.com Thom McKiernan

    Do we know if the Skype WP7 app will work on phones without a forward facing camera? The Samsung Video Call app doesn’t :(

    • Jinge

      I couldn’t understand why it would not. Skype is not only a video software, but also chat, and audio/phone calls. So no reason not to be able to use it without a front cam. Plus most of windows phones don’t have one, so too many users waiting for the app would be frustrated… Not a good idea for a new system!

  • http://www.timacheson.com/ Tim Acheson

    Context:

    Foistware: how software companies push [Google] software you don’t want or need
    http://www.zdnet.com/photos/foistware-how-software-companies-push-software-you-dont-need/6225995

    Adobe and Skype top my Foistware Hall of Shame [Google toolbar]
    http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/adobe-and-skype-top-my-foistware-hall-of-shame/3195

    Tags: #GFail #Foistware

  • GP007

    Good, less Google crap being installed by people left and right.  It’s like a nasty infection, more people should get rid of this stuff unless they really need it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pedro-Roque/100000194503830 Pedro Roque

      Just to quote Steven Sinofsky, “we aim to a chromeless internet experience”!

    • Guest

      That’s not working out too well so far. IE9 is at 22% on W7 and Chrome is like 18% or so.

    • Anonymous

      So full of FAIL. Do some research. IE9 is over 30% and increasing.

    • http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

      Seems you missed the meaning of the word “Chromeless” in this context. As in making the experience clean, without superfluous elements, not in reference to your beloved google product.

    • http://twitter.com/kallanreed Kyle Reed

      @twitter-39530007:disqus Double entendre: you missed it.

    • Ray Akkanson

      Minimize browser usage on windows 8 Tablet and google will dissapear from market. Cause they are dependent to browser and HTML. Bing does same thing as google but I don’t understand why google has billions of dollars market capital when bing is just a product of Microsoft.

    • Anonymous

      Yes, the toolbar after you acidentally installed, it won’t let you go, until you see yes to all their request. Never seen things like that. 

    • Anonymous

      Wasn’t there a company that tried to do this gator toolbar and taskbar tool thing back in the 90s. I am wondering what’s the difference at this point between those guys and what google does?

    • http://twitter.com/rushonerok Rush Frisby

      gator toolbar was spyware. thats the difference

    • Anonymous

      And google isn’t?

  • Jinge

    I have updated my skype 2 days ago, now 1 more time!
    I hope they will release the WP app soon, and make a deep integration to merge contacts, messages and everything else!

  • Anonymous

    Barely a few hours since the deal closed and they’ve already made improvements.

  • http://www.mainstreetchatham.com/ JimmyFal

    This is so huge, I can’t even tell you. I have been giving Microsoft crap about NOT sweating the details for my entire computing career. The ONLY bad thing about this could be that they eventually put the Bing Bar in place of the Google Toolbar. Now that wouldn’t ruffle my feathers AT ALL, IF, they did NOT check that install toolbar box by DEFAULT. Hey Google, if you have any problem with this, then stop your scumbag tactics of shoving toolbars down unsuspecting, or rather, uninformed users throats!

    • Anonymous

      I doubt they will put in the Bing toolbar.  I think MS is focused on a cleaner and chromeless internet experience :)

  • Anonymous

    Thank you!!  When will Adobe remove their 3rd party toolbars?

  • Guest

    So MS’s first move to generate ROI from the $8.5 billion Skype purchase is to kill the Google deal which presumably saw Skype being paid for that placement? Yeah, looks like it’s going to be really independent.

    • http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

      1st thing you do when you buy a new house is get rid of all the old rubbish. Just good housekeeping. :)

    • Anonymous

      it’s their business they can do whatever they want to do with it. AND if they do not integrate skype into the product line up from phones to tablets to desktop then they’d be fools.

  • Emi Cyberschreiber

    I just installed it! of course i had to uninstall my 5.6.0.105.

    i was more interested in how i can open Skype from desktop without it to crash. im glad they finally fixed that after a month and some updated released.

    but not having google stuff bundle is amazing! i remember evertime my dad installed skype i had to go and uninstall google toolbar and chrome. even when it updated from 5.5 to 5.6 it wanted to install google products so its good to install it without google crap stuff.

  • http://twitter.com/pierrerv Pierre Venescar

    Tom always reads the comments on his articles… He’s a winrumors fan just like Mar Cuban is a Mavs fan

  • http://twitter.com/wpa_es Windows Phone Apps

    impatiently waiting for the Skype application for WP

  • Anonymous

    no wonder why i did feel like this update is going to awesome 

  • Banks

    im on 5.5 and skype is saying there is no update?

  • grunie

    All I can say is welcome to weekly skype security updates, like Win 7. As soon as Microsoft changes something, the backdoors open to allow security bugs :-(

  • http://www.seo-classic.co.il Ami Hury

    Skype IS way better then apple’s facetime.

  • Anonymous

    Good riddance, like a poster mentioned above, Google crapware bundled on software installations is like a nasty infestation.