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Microsoft Testing A New India Exclusive Dialer App Based On Skype

Microsoft is now testing Dialer, a new voice messaging app made for India.

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Dialer is Microsoft‘s attempt to capture the markets that are bogged down by connectivity issues like slow and unreliable Internet access.

While the Android version of the app is being tested now, 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 be working on both 3G as well as 2G networks. Being called Microsoft Dialer, the app is said to be designed exclusively for the Indian market. The expected release window of the app is rumored to be the second week of December. India is a sensible testing ground for such an app, but it’s likely that it will also spread globally as well as to other platforms.

Microsoft has not officially announced Dialer, so there’s no way for us to know exactly when it’s going to be coming to India, much less when it will come to the rest of the world.

There’s no word yet on whether or not the Dialer app is going to be able to support any video calling feature, but sources told Gadget 360 that video sharing of a few kind is going to be present.

If it launches such a feature in India, Microsoft will have to compete against very popular applications, such as Hike Messenger and WhatsApp, so it will be interesting to see how the company actually manages to tackle local demand for voice calling.

While these apps continue to bloom, Skype is starting to lose appeal, especially amongst the younger, mobile-first audience. WhatsApp recently added to group voice calling ability. The app allows up to 100 people in a group to simultaneously talk to each other.

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Google’s introduction of iOS apps is more similar to Microsoft’s strategy of pre-installing apps on Android OEMs. The smaller, lighter Dialer app is apparently Microsoft’s way of getting back into the game. Earlier this year, over 30 handset makers agreed to pre-install Microsoft’s Android apps on their devices.

Microsoft Testing Dialer Android App That's Made for India