Microsoft has built Skype Qik, a new communications app launching for Android, iPhone and Windows Phone devices on October 14. The new app is available worldwide in 21 languages for all three platforms. All three versions of the app are free and are downloadable from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Windows Phone Store.

Developed by a team of Skype designers and developers, Skype Qik is a new video messaging app that gives you an easy way to capture the moment and chat with groups of friends. Each video -- up to 42 seconds in length -- lasts exactly 2 weeks. And if you send a message by mistake, or don’t like the video, you can erase any video you’ve sent from the chat, whether it’s been watched it or not. If you don’t want to receive messages from someone, you have the ability to block contacts on Android and Windows Phone.

When you want to reply to a message but don’t have time to record a video of your own, you can use a Qik Flik. They’re like GIFs you record yourself – little 5 second videos you can send with just a tap.

A few months before Microsoft bought Skype, Skype itself bought video-messaging vendor Qik for $100 million back in 2011.