Skype Lite Client is designed to work as a cut down version of Skype, which just focuses on the simple feature of instant messaging (reminiscent of early day instant messaging apps, such as MSN Messenger).
Just chat, no voice or video
Installation of Skype Lite Client was a bit fraught as I kept getting error messages and I was offered a large bundle of other programs to install at the same time, which were cunningly designed to look like they were part of the installation process.
To use the Skype Lite Client you must first install Skype. Once you’ve done that you need to open Skype, sign in and authorize the client in the message you’ll get at the top of the user interface.
Once you have done that, right click on the Skype Lite Client icon in the task bar and it will show all your Skype contacts. If you click on the Skype Lite Client icon on your desktop it will tell you what to do if you’re unsure. Then click on one of the contacts (it displays them each individually) and it brings up a small pop up box where you can start your chat by typing a message. You can run multiple conversations at the same time and switch between chats easily enough.
It’s important to note that Skype Lite Client is only for instant messaging, not for voice or video calls. Also, the program doesn’t save message histories. When I quit the main Skype app, the messages I received stayed in the dialog box but the messages I sent disappeared. But once you close the pop up box your messages are gone from Skype Lite Client, although they are still saved in Skype.
Very unreliable
Unfortunately Skype Lite Client is incredibly unreliable. Some messages were sent, some were received and some weren’t (from both sides of the conversation). And most of the time I had to click on the Skype application first before the messages would arrive in the Skype Lite Client, which obviously defeats the point of the client and adds in an extra step. The pop up box also doesn’t stay on top when you open your browser so you have to click on the icon again to see your messages.
For some reason I ended up with six icons in the task bar even though I was only messaging one person. And when I hovered over these icons the message displayed said it was ‘Facebook Desktop’ not ‘Skype Lite Client’. Confusing.
When you quit the main Skype application and restart it again you need to remember to close all the existing Skype Lite Client chat windows and reopen them again if you want to continue chatting. If you don’t do that then any new messages you type won’t be sent and you won’t receive any new messages either.
The client doesn’t display a notification or pop up when you receive a new message; it is Skype that provides the notification and you must click on that first before the client pops up.
Better to use Skype
While I understand what Skype Lite Client is trying to do (make instant messaging simpler, quicker and more convenient) it just isn’t reliable enough to use. I encountered so many issues with messages not sending or being received, messages being received twice, and messages being received in a strange order. Also, as you need to have Skype running at all time, you end up having two programs at once, which isn’t really any simpler. My advice: stick with Skype.
Download Skype Lite Client 1.1.6 in