Skype lets users blur backgrounds in video calls

The latest version of video chat app Skype gives users the ability to blur the background in video calls, the company reports. The software uses an algorithm to distinguish human shapes so that only the person can see clearly.

For now, the function only works on desktops and laptops, Skype reports. Users can blur the background through a selection in the settings, but also via a toggle or with a right click.

Blurring the background should put more emphasis on the person and prevent callers from looking at objects in the background of the image. As a result, it should reduce tension for users, according to the Microsoft subsidiary.

Skype reports that it is a similar function to the one already available in the Microsoft Teams chat app. The algorithm searches the image for shapes of the human body and thus also tries to keep hair and hands in focus.

The feature is available immediately in Skype for desktops and laptops. It is unknown if and when background blurring will be available in the mobile versions of Skype. It was already clear that Skype was working on the feature.