Skype is soon going to support a new feature called ‘living photos’, as Microsoft partners with the SWNG app maker Swing Technologies on Monday.
Swing Technologies said in a press release that Swing employees would join Skype team at Microsoft to contribute its imaging technology in Skype messaging and calling.
Microsoft didn’t make any announcement about it, but Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Skype, Amritansh Raghav twitted, “The amazing folks at Swing Technologies are joining Skype!”
SWNG is a cinema-graph app that lets users create and share GIF-like short videos called ‘living photos’. It also offers a variety of filters to add some artistic feel to the living photos. Apple featured the app as the top product on App Store and in Apple retail stores globally.
“The Swing team’s deep expertise in imaging technology will help us deliver great new features and capabilities for Skype,” said Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Skype, Amritansh Raghav. “They have an impressive track record of delivering great user experiences and brand design around the technology they develop. I welcome the new team members and am excited about how Swing will deliver innovation to our customers.”
SWNG is the debut app of Swing Technologies which was founded in 2014, and has around 10 employees including ex-employees from Apple, Instagram, and Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone. The Swng was partly designed by Cole Rose, the photographer who was a part of creating early filters for Instagram.
“This is a unique opportunity for the team to bring our ideas to a global audience,” said Tommy Stadlen, Co-Founder of Swing Technologies. “It’s an exciting time to join Microsoft, which is thriving under the leadership of Satya Nadella. We believe in the power of brands and technology, so the Skype mission and values resonate strongly with us.”
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No financial terms of the deal were disclosed. The app might live on once the SWNG team joins Skype team and they find a way to add it to Skype.
