Skype Introduces Background Blur In Video Calls

Skype announced that it’s introducing background blur in video calls, a feature that was already available in Microsoft Teams.

Remember that guy that was being interviewed on TV via Skype call and his young daughter walked into the room? Sure, that was adorable, but there are plenty of situations that you’d prefer to be able to obscure the scene behind you during a Skype video call. That’s why Skype is introducing a new background blur feature, to make sure you’re “the focus in every video call.”

Background blur in Skype is similar to background blur in Microsoft Teams. When turned on the background of your video call is “instantly and subtly blurred, leaving just you as the only focal point.” And although Skype says that it can’t guarantee that it’s always blurred, it can certainly help in different situations. In an announcement for the new feature, Skype explains that the feature can be turned on “with a simple toggle, right-click, or even through your Skype settings.”

Want to obscure your background in a Skype video call? Now, that’s easily done on Skype with a new background blur feature.

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Background blur in Skype and Teams will use AI that has been “trained in human form detection” to keep you in focus throughout a call by even detecting hair, hands, and arms. The feature is available on most desktops and laptops using the latest version of the Skype app. You can find out more about background blur in Skype video calls, here.