Microsoft has announced an Apple Silicon version of Skype and says it is up to three times faster than the Intel version, obviously.

Skype beta now available with full support for Apple Silicon - M1 and M2 - download today and take it for a spin

Available immediately to those who are enrolled in the Skype beta program, the new version will roll out to everyone around the globe as a full and final software update very soon.

Once the beta is downloaded and installed, the app will work natively with M1 and M2 powered Macs - no Rosetta needed - and users should see up to three times the performance boost over the Intel version. Microsoft even made a small video to demonstrate the performance enhancement, and those with an eagle eye will agree this is a huge leap:

According to Microsoft:

After months of anticipation and customer demand, Skype has finally released its new update for Apple M1 Mac devices, and it's a game-changer – 3X Faster! Say goodbye to sluggish and slow call experiences, and hello to lightning-fast performance with crystal-clear audio and video quality.

Microsoft admits in its own official Skype blog post that its app is hot garbage on an Intel Mac, pretty much every app has been from countless developers until they pushed out updates to take advantage of M1 and M2. In other words, Apple Silicon really opens up the world to new experiences, which was hard to achieve on Intel chips.

In an amazing self-own, Microsoft states that the Apple Silicon version of its app "delivers faster and more reliable call connections." Clearly, the company knows that the Intel app hasn't been up to the mark, and now it's time to change all that, and it has. It makes us glad, too.

Again, the Apple Silicon support is available as a beta and will be available for everyone as a full and final software update in the day and weeks to come. Also, beta software can be a little unstable at times, therefore, exercise a little bit of caution before installing it. It's best to stick with what you are already running before dipping your toes in the pre-release software world.