Microsoft is apparently prepping to launch a new Android app for voice calling, which is targeted specifically at the Indian market. The new app will reportedly be named Dialer, and is already undergoing testing if sources quoted by NDTV are to be believed. The app has apparently been designed and developed by the Skype team, and will be optimized for the slower and often unreliable wireless networks in rural and small-town India. While Microsoft may eventually launch the app in other markets with similarly unreliable wireless networks, the report claims that users in India will most definitely be the first in the world to get to use the app, which is being described in some sections of the Indian media as a lighter and less resource-hungry version of the company’s popular Skype video calling app. It is however, unclear at this point as to whether the ‘Dialer’ app will also come with video calling capabilities, although one of the sources familiar with the matter has reportedly claimed that it will indeed feature video capabilities in one form or another.
While the Android version of the app is being tested currently, the Redmond, Washington-based technology company is also believed to be prepping a version meant for its own Windows 10 Mobile platform, which might well be released next year. The app will reportedly work on Lumia-branded devices running on Windows Mobile, as well as Nokia’s Asha phones, which were launched by Microsoft over the past two years as alternatives to low-cost Android handsets in some emerging economies. As for the Android app, while there is no official word forthcoming from the company, an anonymous source supposedly conversant with the proceedings has reportedly claimed that the app is slated for a mid-December launch, although this particular claim could not be independently verified.
Replying to a question posed by NDTV on the company’s plans about the upcoming Dialer app, a Microsoft spokesperson is reported to have replied, “As part of the ongoing improvements to deliver the best experience possible to our users, we are always innovating and occasionally test out new features and functionality on small groups of users in different markets. If you live in India and have an Android phone and would like to get involved, sign up to our Pre-Release program via the Skype Community page. We have no specific news on product announcements planned in India to share today”.
