Skype removes emojis which have 'potential to offend'
- Published
Skype, the online video chat service, has removed some of its emojis which have the "potential to offend", according to its community managers.
Some of the icons include a smiley face showing its middle finger and a woman's legs wearing high heels.
The changes happened more than a month ago, according to TechCrunch, external.
A number of Skype users have complained on the site's forums about the update, which was brought in with the upgrade to version 6.14 in February.
Some of the "hidden" Skype icons
The removed emojis, which could be used during instant messaging conversations, were part of a hidden range of icons separate to the standard ones.
Other hidden emoticons are still available, including one of a smiley face smoking, another which is drunk and a third wearing boxing gloves.
Skype was first launched more than 10 years ago.
It was bought by Microsoft in 2011 which decided to phase out its Windows Live Messenger service in 2013 in favour of Skype's instant messaging service.
Skype has a number of rivals, including Apple's FaceTime, Viber and Google Hangouts.
In February WhatsApp, the mobile messaging service being bought by Facebook for $19bn (£12bn), announced it would be adding a voice-calling function "within months".
The app already offers voice notes, small audio clips, but the update means it would act more like Skype.
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