Microsoft is refining the new Skype design on iOS

Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced a huge new redesign for Skype. The company started off by releasing the new look on mobile devices, where it was welcomed with lots and lots of criticism. Microsoft, despite the backlash, continued the rollout and made some substantial improvements to the design ever since. It also started testing the new design on desktops and laptops recently. And now, it’s making some refinements to the design on mobile apps.

Microsoft today announced that the company is testing some design improvements for Skype on iOS with Skype Insiders. The refined design comes with some much-needed improvements to the user-interface of Skype, making things much easier to access with the new navigation bar. The navigation bar is now back at the bottom of the iPhone, letting you access things like your recent chats, calls, Highlights (read: Snapchat Stories), and your contacts without you needing to struggle to reach the top of the app on your phone’s big display.

Microsoft’s also making changes to the design for conversations, which can now fit more messages at once due to the compressed header size, redesigned compose box, and more. Here are two screenshots showing off the improved design:

The refined Skype design on iOS comes with some other minor user-experience improvements, and you can find a full list of those here. I personally think the refined design looks much better than the original redesign, which was full of questionable design issues. The new Skype design isn’t perfect by any means, though. Microsoft still has a long way to go.