As an extra layer of security, Skype has released a preview of end-to-end encrypted “Private Conversations.” Currently available for Skype Insiders, users will now have more protection over the content they send within conversations.
Using Open Whisper System’s Signal Protocol, Private Conversations provides end-to-end encryption for Skype audio calls, along with any text messages, images, videos, and audio you send. All content will also be hidden while on the app, so any Preview messages you send won’t show up in your Chats or notifications.
Open Whisper Systems has become the industry standard when it comes to encrypted communication. WhatsApp also worked with the organization back in 2016, to develop its own form of end-to-end encryption.
Some might even be familiar with Open Whisper’s own messaging service app called Signal, available for Android and iOS. In addition to its already existing end-to-end encrypted voice-calling and chat service, it beta tested encrypted video calls last year as well.
You can try Skype’s preview by selecting “New Private Conversation” when in the compose menu or from the profile of who you want to send the message to. The recipient will then have to accept your invite, which will specifically state the private conversation will be secured with end-to-end encryption and there will also be a lock icon next to the contact’s name.
But it’s important to note that you can only participate in a private conversation from one device at a time. This means that you can switch the conversation over to another device, but your message history won’t sync and you’ll have to resend the invitation to your contact.
When it comes to ending a Private Conversation, you’ll receive a confirmation window letting you know it has officially ended. You can also delete it the same way you would with a regular chat, and recover it by starting a Private Conversation with the same contact again.
But there are limits when it comes to your capabilities — you’re unable to edit a message or forward any files. From the chat window, you can only send files, audio messages, and emoticons.
For now, Skype is using the preview phase to gain feedback from Skype Insiders before releasing the feature to all of its users. It’s currently available on the latest version of Skype for desktop, along with iOS and Android.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.