New Skype Ringtones Revolt Coming
Skype's ring tones are the first change you will notice when trying out the new beta 2.0. Unfortunately, first impressions aren't favorable and Skype has not provided a story on why they all changed. For over two years we've had the same basic tones. Skype has trained us from the first time we clicked to call to listening out for the "distinctive" ring of an incoming Skype call. These ring tones are associated with trust and security that all was working. They were a key part of the brand, our trust in Skype, and its heritage.
Here's how I've heard and seen the new Skype ring tones written up. In a no names survey of beta testers generally the word is very few were positive.
In a personal comment to me, a Skype buddy describes them as “watery burps and muffled flushtanks”.
In the forums, a comment from a user - “...i agree the new sounds sound naff and feeble especially the ring when you call someone, it sounds like a wet fart, excuse my turn of phrase, but its the best way i can think of describing it. ”
And a reader writes, “do I need to pay to get my ringtones back? Or to get ringtones that I want? Is this a ruse to force people to pay for ringtones?”
So, what do we have here? A strong sensory anchor for the Skype service and brand has been arbitrarily changed. These new tones are just so annoying, and confusing and require new learning. Why tweak something good, when in the process you are destroying value and creating confusion? Are they more intelligent, do they have greater functionality? Plus there is no differentiation for an inbound video call request or if it is just audio. And I still can’t customize ringtones by contacts.
Moreover, they are not distinctive from one another – even if you like them, you can’t tell one from the other so easily. As an active Skype user, where I get pinged many times a minute, it would be difficult for me to figure out whether someone has logged in, or sent a chat message, or a request for authorization or even if I have terminated a call.
Then, volume wise many are really soft --- If you want to be able to hear the ringtone in another room, these sound much softer in volume, you can miss them more easily. Even the one which hangs up a call is so soft, I'm not sure whether we have called off or not.
One has to wonder on whom they tested it and how. What questions were asked. We don't even get a skins equivalent with this new version. I can't choose the techno toilet option vs the classic call sounds. This is something little that is really something big. It's why "yawn" 2.0 hasn't excited me one bit. The original sounds provided comfort and identity with a traditional phone replacement. Close enough to help adoption. These new sounds aren't pleasant and won't help. From the first ring 2.0 has failed to impress and wow me.
Like the forum reader I can only wonder if we now have to pay to get our ring tones back. Is this just another strategy to force a few more dollars out of Skypers? If so this is going the wrong way about it.
If you want to play all the ring tones, go to “Tools” / "Options" and select "Sounds". Then simple play the tones. Be the judge! Join the group who want the old ring tones back. So what to you think about these tones? Let us know.
Comments
I could not agree more with the above, it was like a shock, the wet fart realy is the definition! Give us the old ringtones back, and for free!!
Posted by: Ully | December 1, 2005 10:55 PM
"These ring tones are associated with trust and security that all was working. They were a key part of the brand, our trust in Skype, and its heritage."
You must be kidding. What are you guys on about??? Get real. If anything I am starting to lose fate in the Skype Journal because you guys do not seem to discuss real issues any more. Not a place to come for useful information it now seems to me. And I for one definitely like the new tones. In my mind there was nothing superior with the previous ones.
Leaving the different tastes aside, you do realise that you can set ANY wav file as your freaking ring tone, don't you?
Posted by: marakrat | December 2, 2005 12:52 AM
I don't like the sounds either. Also the new GUI is a mess. It looks like a christmas tree.
The blue balloon with profile information is simply to much. Grouping is not very stylish also. I like some new icons and of course video.
For grouping i would like to see outlook kind of grouping. On country, status etc.
So my overall impression is not positive.
Posted by: Hans Blaauw | December 2, 2005 01:04 AM
Please, I want the old ring tones back...... I agree 100% with the words on top.
Rodrigo
Brazil
Posted by: Rodrigo Mussi | December 2, 2005 01:44 AM
the new tones are awfull. I want my old ones back. I like the clear ringing which lets me know even as I m not at my place, that acall is comeing in
Grouping is grat but still to much space used
christoph
Posted by: christoph_platzer | December 2, 2005 04:22 AM
A basic marketing principal of introducing new technology into a legacy market is to leave the "user interface" as close as possible to that of the previous technology. That is why we see Skype phonesets coming out to get away from requiring a PC to use Skype. In the same vein, the ringtones are part of the user interface. There should be a default user interface that emulates the current user interface (maybe by continent since ringtones vary across various jurisdictions). Then provide options for "wet farts" and other whims of Skype developers. (I would add "and Product Managers" but when this kind of change happens, it appears there is no experienced Product Manager on board; here is an example of where eBay may bring some experience to benefit Skype users.)
If they want to have Skype embraced beyond the technophobes, they need to keep the user experience as familiar as possible; for example, restore the old ringtones. Wireless phone experience shows there is a tremendous revenue generating market for non-standard ringtones....
Posted by: Jim Courtney | December 2, 2005 05:51 AM
Marakrat,
I have no problem with you enjoying the new ring tones. And yes you can create your own. However, I suspect most of us don't have time to do that, and why should we be forced to anyways?
If Skype had provided "themes" as an option or even set up a format so users could be creative then I'd be more in favor. There's no explanation from Skype for why. The "wet fart" description may just stick.
Skype's claim is "simplicity" and that is what they are working to. 2.0 adds unnecessary complexity for many a Grandma who will already have to learn all about video. The ring tone for video should have been different inbound and outbound. The rest should have stayed the same.
Posted by: Stuart | December 2, 2005 08:08 AM
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Posted by: ahmet | December 2, 2005 09:22 AM
I was not aware of the change of ringtone, because nobody called me (no ... i am not a lonely guy, i chatted with quite a lot of people ;-) ) ... but indeed this is not an improvement ... it is disgusting ... and when i am far away from my computer i cannot hear it anymore.
(For those who want to test it without asking somebody to call them: just type "call me" in the chat window of Skype User "echo123".)
Posted by: Jean Mercier | December 2, 2005 01:38 PM
Stuart,
First of all, I don't think anybody is forced to create his own tones! Was I forced when I wasn't enjoying the old tones one bit? No I was not, I just got on with calling. And so does the grandma of my children who couldn't care less whether the Skype sounds remind her of the first conventional phone she ever saw or not.
In my opinion, a VoIP solution such as Skype should be different from the legacy phone system that we have had now for 100 years - sticking to that one would be just mad.
The arguments about the new tones and the overall look and feel being the product of technophiles doing poor product development are just plain laughable. I for sure will never want to revert to the old bland looking Skype. Yeah, bring eBay on board and you get the world's most cluttered look.
C'mon whimsical developers, bring on the grooves!
Posted by: marakrat | December 2, 2005 03:03 PM
Another MAJOR problem no one has addressed: In skype-out calls, you do not see the telephone number associated with your contact which sucks!
Posted by: Ricardo | December 2, 2005 03:14 PM
I like the new sounds, because its quite and its not disturbing me when i am in a call...
Some time, I will keep my status as "Away" and i will be talking with one person, suppose if some other call me, I dont want to answer, I dont want to reject the call, I dont want to send the call to voicemail, 'coz if i do that, the person who is calling me will know that i am in my computer.
But the other sounds like hangup, ringing are quite low, better to have little louder ones, but i hate the old ones, very noisy.
Posted by: U.Yogeswaran | December 2, 2005 09:39 PM
I do have to agree with the hatred of the egregious new sounds. I was also unsuccessful re-associating the events with WAV files on my Windows PC. Every time I browsed for a .WAV file (from Trillian's application, for example), it popped up an error stating "Unsupported File Format". Am I to infer that Skype 2.0 only supports a selective/proprietary set of CODECs???
In response to the comment about grandmothers and 100-year-old sounds, I think it's critical to bridge the old with the new by using universally recognized sounds for making and taking voice calls. My 1930's era mother instinctively knew what to do when the telephone rang, and knew what was going on when the 10-digit touch-tone sound was playing. I cannot imagine that underwater buttocks excretions will be as instinctively recognized.
Posted by: ViperGeek | December 3, 2005 06:34 PM
I've put together some ringtones on www.voipfaq.net/skype+ringtones.php just for a bit of fun initially but it looks like the subject of ringtones can be an emotive one.
They all work with 1.4, have not tried them on 2 yet but suspect they will be ok. (will know in a couple of hours when I've tried it out)
Will be putting up some more traditional rings as well.
Also taking requests.
Cheers, John
Posted by: JohnG | December 6, 2005 04:09 AM
lOVE THE PROGRAM BUT THE RINGTONES DO SUCK! UNLESS IN FRONT OF COMPUTER YOU NEVER HEAR A INCOMING CALL!!
Posted by: Smokiesman | December 7, 2005 03:58 PM
Please, I want the old ring tones back...... I agree 100% with the words on top.
Posted by: Michael - Shanghai | December 10, 2005 11:08 PM
Utter Crap
Posted by: tony | December 11, 2005 06:35 AM
To everyone who thinks that the new sounds suck:
You might want to check www.wockert.de/skype.html
Cheers
Hannes
Posted by: Hannes | December 12, 2005 03:39 AM
Skype 2.0
I missed calls because I could not hear the
ring.
I asked Skype how I could get back to the old ring tone.
Their canned response did not answer my question.
What can we do to get Skype's attention?
Posted by: bob | December 16, 2005 11:37 AM
The new ring tones are terrible! I have missed several calls because I could not hear the stupid sound. I am not a teenage ringtone fan so I will not be lining the pockets of Skype by purchasing a decent ringtone. Skype is so propertary that I can't bring over the old ring tones from earlier beta to the latest. I think it is time I switched to Gizmo or some other VoIP software.
Posted by: Terry | December 17, 2005 11:54 AM
Totally agree. I wish I hadn't downloaded the new version now! I want to be able to hear my ringtone from another room, nut just two feet from the speaker! As for the other tones, the guy who designated those must have been on an early Christmas bender!!
Posted by: Roger | December 29, 2005 07:54 AM
Im agree too! New sounds are awful and terrible! PLEASE Give us at choice between old and new ring tones in new version!
Posted by: Peter | January 15, 2006 02:48 AM
I agree that the new ringtones are horrible. But you can get the old ringtone back just by selecting it from the list of Sound Alerts in the Tools / Options menu.
Posted by: Fernando | January 18, 2006 06:17 AM
Hi!!
Anyone can tell me WHAT CAN I DO to change the ringtone? I already tried but the error message always appears....
I simply never hear the incomming calls...only if i'm in front of the computer!! Skype simply wants that we buy ringtones... I would never buy a ringtone!!!What a stupid thing!
Posted by: sofia | January 19, 2006 07:49 AM
Exactly, agree. I came onto your site via a Google search on this annoying issue....
Maybe time for searching free ringtones in .wav to be independent...
Posted by: Bjorn | January 19, 2006 09:38 PM
WizzTones is a new and easy-to-use software product to use with Skype! With WizzTones, you can assign every individual on your contacts list a distinct and different sound, giving you the freedom to walk away from your computer but still be available to know just who is trying to get in touch. With WizzTones, the only limit is your imagination.
www.wizztones.com
Posted by: aandy | January 26, 2006 04:04 AM
First thing I thought when I heard the tones: "oh nooo! Motherfxxkers, how could they...!! This is really bad. Help, how do I get it back to normal".
I'm glad there are made some suggestions on this page. I go check it right away.
Feels good I'm not the only one who's very very disappointed about the sounds ;)
Posted by: Nilson | February 8, 2006 02:39 PM
Fernando mentions above (at January 18, 2006) that you can select the classic sounds, but those are not the sounds Í was used to. Don't know from which version they come, but for sure not from 1.1.0.79 :(
Posted by: Nilson | February 8, 2006 02:51 PM
The cell phone industry is a classic example of exploiting young people and others who have yet learned to manage their discretionary funds. I find it amazing, for example, that anyone would associate value with a ringtone but then hey, far stranger things have happened.
We can only assume the new Skype, which is now owned by eBay, will copy certain marketing strategies such as nickel-and-diming end users until they reach the pain threshold. We should not forget that in today's business model, HP makes much more money selling ink than they do selling printers!
My guess is that as Skype matures to reach a critical mass or commercial status, we'll be paying for much more than ringtones to continue using it.
Posted by: Bruce Wofford | March 1, 2006 10:51 PM
Yes, would definitely want the old ring tones back - skype has lost some of its quality and intuitiveness.
Posted by: Al | March 5, 2006 03:29 AM