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Summary: Skype for Business Server 2015 or Skype for Business Online administrators can use these tables to understand what features are supported on which clients.

Before you deploy or upgrade to Skype for Business, check which clients are already in use in your organization. Use the tables below to understand the feature support impact on those clients. This can help you communicate changes to users, pace the roll-out process, and fully understand the benefits of upgrading to the latest client.

Skype for Business on Mac, Lync for Mac 2011 and Communicator for Mac 2011 users can't control desktops shared by Windows users. This also won't work for Skype for Business Web App on Max OSX. For Skype for Business Online, this feature requires Microsoft PSTN Conferencing, Exchange Unified Messaging, or a 3rd party audio conferencing provider. Try Skype out today and start adding your friends, family and colleagues. They won’t be hard to find; hundreds of millions of people are already using Skype to do all sorts of things together. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Skype is a division of Microsoft Corp. For users of Skype for Business Server 2015, sending an IM notification of an emergency call placed from Skype for Business on Mac to a distribution list (as specified by the the notification URI in the location policy) requires the July 2018 update. To see the latest Skype for Business Online Admin help topics and how-to articles, see Skype for Business Online - Admin Help. Audio Conferencing in Office 365 Audio Conferencing is any conference in which at least one participant dials in to the audio portion by using a phone.

Some features available with Skype for Business Server 2015 are not available in Skype for Business Online, see Online or Hybrid user account limitations for specifics. Skype for Business Online Admins may want to refer to Skype for Business Online Service Description for information on the different plans available to them.

See Desktop client feature comparison for Skype for Business 2019 for client support on Skype for Business Server 2019.

The following tables show the features that are available with each client that works with Skype for Business Server 2015 or Skype for Business Online. You may also want to refer to Mobile client feature comparison for Skype for Business for smart phone and tablet client feature comparisons. The Client Access License or User Subscription License your organization purchases will also have an impact on which features are available to your users. Whether you deploy the Full or Basic client to users depends on the license or plan your organization chooses to buy. See the Licensing Guide for more details.

Important

Skype for Business Server 2015 and Skype for Business Online support the following previously released clients: Lync 2013, Lync 2010, Lync 2010 Mobile, Lync Phone Edition, and Lync 2010 Attendant. For information about these clients when used with other servers, see the Client comparison tables for Lync Server 2013 and Client comparison tables for Lync Server 2010.

Note

The Lync 2010 Attendant client is not supported in Skype for Business Online.

Note

The Skype for Business Web App browser client and Skype Meetings App Windows 10 app only provide Meetings support. Refer to Plan for Meetings clients (Web App and Meetings App) for more about these clients.

Enhanced Presence support

This table covers the Enhanced Presence features that extend beyond a simple indication of whether a user is online, offline, busy, etc.

❶ Does not support publishing status based on calendar free/busy information.

Contacts and Contact Groups support

This table covers the features relating to managing IM and Presence contacts.

IM support

This table covers features related to IM support.

Meetings support

This table covers features related to Meetings support.

Note

Skype for Business meeting features aren't available in Skype for Business Online Standalone Plan 1. Plan 1 is being retired.

In Skype-to-Skype sessions, a Skype for Business Online Plan 1 user can participate in desktop sharing and application sharing if they're invited by a user who has access to sharing features.For details, see the Skype for Business Online Service Description.

❶ Participants can't control desktops that are shared by Skype for Business on Mac, Lync for Mac 2011, or Communicator for Mac 2011 users. Skype for Business on Mac, Lync for Mac 2011 and Communicator for Mac 2011 users can't control desktops shared by Windows users. This also won't work for Skype for Business Web App on Max OSX.

❷ For Skype for Business Online, this feature requires Microsoft PSTN Conferencing, Exchange Unified Messaging, or a 3rd party audio conferencing provider.

❸ The Lync for Mac 2011 client cannot view Microsoft Office 2013 PowerPoint presentations when they have been shared in a conference by the Skype for Business Web App.

Voice (Telephony) support

This table covers features related to voice services support.

Note

Skype for Business Voice (Telephony) features are limited to certain Skype for Business Online subscription plans. For details, see the Skype for Business Online Service Description.

❶ This feature isn't available in Skype for Business Online.

External users support

This table covers features related to support for external users homed on the PSTN.

Recording support

This table covers features related to support for recording meetings.

❶ Recording is unavailable in certain Skype for Business Online standalone plans. Recording requires full Skype for Business client rights.

❷ Recording of file transfers, shared OneNote pages, and PowerPoint annotations is unavailable in Skype for Business Online.

Modern Authentication

This table covers features requiring support for modern authentication.

Modern authentication also requires a topology described in Skype for Business topologies supported with Modern Authentication.

Archiving, compliance, and logging support

Skype For Business Mac Version History

This table covers features related to support for archiving and logging functions.

❶ For Skype for Business Online users, this feature requires Exchange Online and is controlled by the user's Exchange mailbox In-Place Hold attribute.

Client limitations

Basic client limitations

The features below are available using the Full client and are not available with the Basic client:

• Manage team call settings
• Manage delegates
• Handle another's calls if configured as a delegate
• Manage a high volume of calls
• Initiate a call to a Response Group
• Call park
• Change greeting
• Group call pickup
• Missed call notification emails are not generated when a user status is UM disabled and they are using a legacy Outlook Client (2013 or earlier)

Online or Hybrid user account limitations

User accounts can exist either Online or On-premises, and that will affect the features available to that user. Users with accounts on Skype for Business Online will not have access to the following features, even with the Full client:

• Enhanced Presence: Use a photo from any public site for My Picture
• Contacts: Search for Response Groups
• IM Support: Persistent Chat (Group Chat) integration
• IM Support: Escalate a Persistent Chat room to a Skype for Business Meeting with one click
• External Users: Conduct two-party or multiparty calls with external users

See also

If you are an admin, you can find detailed instructions for setting up Skype for Business Online features in Set up Skype for Business Online.

Clients for Skype for Business Online

Important

The clients that are supported in Skype for Business Online are licensed separately.

• To find out what your Skype for Business Online client options are for Windows or Mac, see Install Skype for Business.

• To find out what your Skype for Business options are on a mobile device, see Install Skype for Business on a mobile device.

• For a detailed comparison of the Skype for Business desktop and web clients, see Skype for Business Online client comparison tables. For a detailed comparison of the Skype for Business mobile clients, see the Mobile client comparison tables.

To download the client for your mobile device, PC, or Mac, go to Download Skype for Business across all your devices.

Skype for Business provides support for the conference room devices listed here. For additional information, work with your account team or call Microsoft support. To get a local number, you can choose your locale from the drop-down list.

Instant messaging, presence, and contacts

Using Skype for Business, users can:

• Display their presence status—for example, Available, Away, Do Not Disturb, or Offline—to let others know their availability. Skype for Business presence information is presented throughout the suite.

• Send and receive text messages in real time over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the internet, or an organization's corporate network. Instant messaging is available for both Skype-to-Skype and multiparty communication. IM text is encrypted for enhanced security.

• Configure how their own Skype for Business contact card appears to other people.

You can read more about instant messaging, presence, and contacts in Send an IM in Skype for Business.

Skype For Business Mac Previous Versions

Skype-to-Skype audio, video, and media

Skype for Business Online users can make one-to-one computer-based audio and video calls to other Skype for Business users using a PC and a web camera. A Skype for Business Online user can initiate Skype-to-Skype audio and video calls with another user in the same Skype for Business Online organization (within or outside the corporate firewall), or with another Skype for Business user in a Skype for Business federated domain if the two Skype for Business domains are correctly configured, supported, and permitted for federation.

See Set audio device options in Skype for Business to find out how to set audio device options in Skype for Business.

Federation and public IM connectivity

Skype for Business external connectivity (federation) lets Skype for Business users connect with users in other organizations that use Skype for Business, as well as those that host their own Skype for Business Server on premises. Federated contacts can see presence, communicate by using IM, and make Skype-to-Skype audio and video calls. All federated communications are encrypted between the IM systems using access proxy servers. Microsoft does not control encryption after messages are passed to the federated partner's network (if the partner is federated with an on-premises Skype for Business Server or third-party network).

Skype for Business external connectivity requires the consent and correct configuration of both parties of the federation relationship. After the federation is set up by the administrators of both sides, users in each organization can see presence and communicate with users in the other organization. Federation is only supported between other Skype for Business environments, with appropriately configured Access Proxy or Edge servers. To learn more about Edge server configuration, see Components required for external user access in Lync Server 2013.

Skype for Business Online meetings

Users can start or join an ad-hoc Skype for Business meeting easily in the Skype for Business client or in Office. Skype for Business lets users escalate simple instant messaging conversations or email conversations to PC-based, multiparty (three or more users) audio and video meetings with shared desktops, applications, and documents.

Skype for Business multiparty audio provides users with an adaptive audio codec for optimal performance under varying bandwidth conditions, visual call and roster controls, network quality indicator, and powerful user management features (for example, drag and drop a participant name to add them to a meeting).

In addition to audio, Skype for Business lets users connect through high quality video sessions. Both person-to-person and multiparty (three or more users) sessions are supported. Active speaker video is available only for multiparty sessions. With Skype for Business, users can easily schedule an online meeting with video or seamlessly escalate an IM session to a video call.

To find out more about Skype for Business online meetings, see Start using Skype for Business for IM and online meetings.

Important

Multiparty Skype for Business audio and video capabilities might not be available in certain countries due to regulatory restrictions. For details, see About license restrictions.

Security and archiving

Microsoft traffic (both signal and media traffic) is encrypted using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. Anyone who intercepts a communication sees only encrypted text. For example, if a user accesses Skype for Business Online IM, calls, and presentations while using a public Wi-Fi network, such as at an airport, the user's communications are encrypted to potential interception by network 'sniffers.'

Skype for Business provides archiving of peer-to-peer instant messages, multiparty instant messages, and content upload activities in meetings. The archiving capability requires Exchange and is controlled by the user's Exchange mailbox In-Place Hold attribute, which archives both email and Skype for Business contents.

All archiving in Skype for Business is considered 'user-level archiving' because you enable or disable it for one or more specific users or groups of users by creating, configuring, and applying a user-level archiving policy for those users. There is no direct control of archiving settings from within the Skype for Business admin center.

Exchange and SharePoint interoperability

Skype for Business Online includes high definition pictures, presence status updates based on Exchange calendar information, unified contact store, archiving, out-of-office messages in Skype for Business, and presence status and click-to-communicate in Outlook. This interoperability requires running the Skype for Business client on the user's desktop.

In certain subscription plans, Skype for Business can integrate with Exchange Online Unified Messaging (UM) to:

• Combine voice messaging and email messaging into a single messaging infrastructure that is available from the Skype for Business client. Exchange UM and Skype for Business work together to provide call answering, Outlook Voice Access, and auto attendant services.

• Enable Outlook on the web to provide IM, presence, status updates based on Exchange calendar information, and Skype for Business Meeting scheduling.

Skype for Business interoperates with on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server for presence and click-to-communicate in SharePoint sites. This interoperability requires running the Skype for Business client on the user's desktop.

Skype for Business Online administration and management

Although Microsoft directly controls all Skype for Business Online data centers and is responsible for overall system performance, it can control only a portion of the elements that combine to provide the total experience for users. Organizations themselves are responsible for the network connections to the data centers, the customer's wide area network (WAN), and the customer's local area networks (LANs). Additionally, they manage user devices and their configuration. They are also responsible for maintaining the required licensing per user for any desired feature, including, but not limited to, the ability to manage these features, for as long as the user needs access to the feature.

Skype for Business Online therefore provides customer administrators with the following tools to manage several messaging-related tasks:

• Microsoft Office 365 portal

• Microsoft 365 admin center

• Skype for Business admin center

• Windows PowerShell

To see the latest Skype for Business Online Admin help topics and how-to articles, see Skype for Business Online - Admin Help.

Audio Conferencing in Office 365

Skype For Business Mac Version 10.10.5

Audio Conferencing is any conference in which at least one participant dials in to the audio portion by using a phone. The ability to use a phone to access a meeting is useful for individuals who are on the road or otherwise can't attend a meeting using a mobile device or PC. Using a phone also can be a better option in other scenarios, such as when internet connectivity is limited or when a meeting is audio only.

With Audio Conferencing, users in your organization can host or create meetings that contain dial-in phone numbers. Callers can then use those phone numbers to call into a meeting using their phones (users who are dialing into a meeting will only get audio, not instant messages, shared desktops, or files being shared in the meeting). You only need to set up dial-in conferencing for users who plan to schedule or lead meetings. Unless the organizer has locked the meeting, anyone who has the dial-in number and conference ID can join the meeting. For details, see Getting started with Audio Conferencing and Dial-in numbers available for Audio Conferencing.

You can enable dial-in conferencing either by using Microsoft as your dial-in conferencing provider, or by using a third-party dial-in conferencing provider (also called an audio conferencing provider, or ACP).

Audio Conferencing is not available in all countries or regions. For a list of the countries or regions in which you can purchase Audio Conferencing, see Where can you get Audio Conferencing?.

Calling Plans

Skype for Business includes calling capabilities found on the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Calling Plans are an add-on to the Phone System that allow you to search for, acquire, and assign phone numbers to users in your organization so that they can make calls to and receive calls from people inside and outside of the organization, directly from Office 365. Users who are assigned phone numbers can make voice calls across all Skype for Business devices, including VoIP phones, PCs, and mobile devices. They also can control their calls through mute/unmute, hold/resume, call transfers, and call forwarding features, and if necessary, make emergency calls.

Skype For Business Mac Older Version

For information about available Calling Plans, go to Calling Plans for Office 365. For more information and to set up a Calling Plan, see Which Calling Plan is right for you?

Phone System

Skype For Business Latest Version Mac

The Phone System lets you use Skype for Business and either your organization's existing phone lines or the Phone System for inbound and outbound calls. With the Phone System in Office 365, your users can use Skype for Business to complete basic tasks such as placing, receiving, transferring, and muting or unmuting calls, from nearly anywhere that has internet access.

Latest Version Of Skype For Business Mac

The Phone System allows you to replace your existing PBX system with a set of features that are directly delivered from Microsoft and tightly integrated into Microsoft's cloud productivity experience. You can choose a completely in-the-cloud experience, or a hybrid deployment that takes advantage of the Phone System while keeping some functionality on your premises.

Skype For Business Mac Alte Version

Skype Meeting Broadcast

Skype Meeting Broadcast lets users produce and broadcast a meeting on the internet to up to 10,000 attendees, who can attend from a browser on virtually any device. With Skype Meeting Broadcast, you can host large virtual meetings such as internal 'town hall' style meetings and public webinars. You can record meetings, and you can customize them to gauge audience involvement and satisfaction.

Note

Currently, Skype Meeting Broadcast isn't available to educational or non-profit organizations.

For more information, go to What is a Skype Meeting Broadcast?.

The Skype Meeting Broadcast portal can be found at https://portal.broadcast.skype.com.