Microsoft updating Skype for new Kindle Fire tablets, iOS 7 devices

Microsoft has updated Skype for Android and iOS over the past few days, with coming support for new Kindle Fire HD and HDX tablets, as well as current support for Apple devices running iOS 7.

Skype for Android version 4.4 is for Android tablets of all kinds. The biggest change, according to an October 8 blog post, is that tablet users "will now see a new interface that puts conversations first, displaying your most recent calls and chats." The post adds that the new update benefits from the "total rewrite of version 4.0" for phone users.

Microsoft's post notes that with "good network conditions," Android tablet users can get up to four times the video resolution of previous versions. Kindle Fire HD and HDX users will still be able to make use of hardware-accelerated HD quality video, Microsoft execs said. Non-Kindle Fire users can get the 4.4 update starting today in the Play Store. Kindle Fire users will be able to get the update "later this month."

On October 7, the Skype team rolled out version 4.13 of Skype for iPhone and iPad. The new release provides a "refreshed look" for iOS 7, plus improvements to accessibility, audio and video calling, according to a blog post. The update is available in the App Store as of Monday.

Speaking of Skype, Microsoft's Skype team is promising to fix some of the more annoying problems with the service that affect users on all platforms. 

The team is working to "synchronize chat message status across all of your devices so you will know the current status of all of your chats on every device you use to interact with Skype." Hopefully, this will eliminate duplicate and lagging messages sent via Skype instant-messaging. Microsoft is promising this synchronization will be rolling out "across clients over the next few months."