Would be nice if I could automatically accept any file transfers from anyone in my contacts.

Thanks
Mark

I don't think you will find this will be an option for security reasons even thought you may know your contacts very well i.e. virus, spyware, maleware etc.

I do agree, but should that not be something I can decide for myself? Could this not be an advanced setting where more advanced users can make that call?

Thanks
Mark

The suggestion is very good. It can be used like fax and etc. The implementation for security reason could be storing auto accepted files in a special directory with the added .tmp extension and during the manual preview could be "downloaded offline / moved" from the special folder to the user selected location. I think that will not violate security. It is like offline download. There could be an option for the limit of autoaccepted files and limit of the special directory.

Still if a file is automatically accepted, then we can expect tons of hackers working on sending a file to every user in your contact list. Imagine the whole world affected in a matter of days? I mean there will be time to cancel the transfer for a big file but what about a 2kb one? Try stopping a download like that. By the time you push the cancel button it will do its stuff by then.

This is not a matter of Skype being insecure rather than Skype opening the door for Malware, Ad-ware viruses willingly. Something we will most probably never do.

Bullshit. If I add a user to my contact list I trust him already. The possibility to accept incoming files from users in my contact list automatically would make life easier for thousands.

The feature being requested in this thread is is an extra feature for MSN Messenger satellite program Messenger Plus. If you have MSN Messenger on your computer -- see and try it out -- http://www.msgpluslive.net/features/

I have been using MSN Messenger for several years and found this feature VERY handy. This is my #1 item on the wish list for Skype or its add-in. This feature must be off by default -- I bet 90% users do not go into configuration, but it is too illogical to keep it out at all. Furthermore, Skype default settings of privacy (allowing anyone to contact a user) are much more a threat than an advanced feature that only the knowledgable users choose to turn on.

What does the community think about it? Come and vote for it!

Is there a patent that prevents the developers to add this feature to Skype?

See the attached screenshots -- how well this can be configured in Messenger Plus!
Why not in Skype, too?

This is true but have you considered that he could still be sending you a corrupt or virus file without his knowledge because he has no scanning program on his PC for finding these problems.

You would be staggered how many people who use the internet without any type of firewall be it software or hardware.

Yes, ok, and none-automatic (manual) file accept make it different HOW?
If Skype would allow us set PER-USER settings for voice chat / file transfer automatic accept, not just globally (aka USELESS) as it is right now for voice chat, and in auto file transfer would store files in a user specified folder and per user request create individual folder for each account it accept files from - that would be as secure as it gets with manual accept.

Even via Skype API we can't do anything regarding file transfers...only look at the status - VERY HANDY

I use skype on Linux, I also run pidgin [previously gaim] as my IM client. This has a plugin to auto-accept files from select users in your 'friends' list.

When you right click on a user, there is an auto-accept file transfer option. When selected, you get the choices for that specific user:

Ask
Auto-accept
Auto-reject

Of course there are the security risks, but it's an end user decision to enable such a feature. Also, downloading a virus is not running a virus. I would always recommend scanning any files - auto accepted or manually accepted [especially on Windows systems].

I don't see why implementing a similar feature in Skype would be a bad thing at all. That's how I stumbled upon these posts, I was checking to see if this functionality was already available.

Thumbs up for auto-accept from me!

Having the option to Auto accept file transfer makes too much sense. I too use MSN for this option ONLY, (and I HATE messenger with all its ads and bloated garbage no one wants - a hint there Skype developers...) It is no different than accepting a file manually. If as the excuse is that there might be malware or a virus in it prevents this, perhaps Skype should remove the file transfer option completely. (This is known as SL coding - Stoopid Logic)

It is peer to peer. If we can CHOOSE to download a file manually, then we should just as easily be able to get one automatically. Heck you could even add an extra option next to each contact... if I choose that single contact whom I trust to send a file I auto receive.

Auto-accept file transfers has already been available on the Mac version of Skype for some time.

Google for "mac skype changelog"

Then do a Find using your browser, for the text "auto".

The first line which appears references a bug-fix to the auto-file transfer option.

as long as its only an option then its ok. good idea

it's only a matter of freedom.

i want to be able to be free to do what i want on my computer, without interfeer with freedom of others.

and my programs should allow me to do this.

i must be free to have option to auto accept files from whom i want.
why skype must deny me my freedom to do that?

about security is not an answer...
put it as disabled option by default, and make it as "advanced user" option.
but advanced user that want to be able to do what they want they must have the freedom to do this with their IM client.

but of course... we all know that world is already corrupted by bad files around msn or icq... because they allow autoaccept files.
how can users of msn and icq survive with this "useless" option??????????????????

Can skype add a config option:

only accept file transfers from contacts?

would be so useful for a complete application like skype.
my whole hopes are in the release v.4.0
i hope developers will listen to the comunity...

+DO WANT IT

Yeah, we understand its security implications. Yes, Windows users are moronic in average. Yes, there are exceptions. So how hard it'd be to make this feature an option only for non-retards?

(It could ask the user a few simple questions in a test fashion. Pick the wrong/right answer, what's a trojan, what's a buffer overflow, what's a jailbreak, what's the purpose of separate users with different permissions, eg. root?)

Or you could simply help evolution by not standing in natural selection's way.

Thanks.

It's a pity that the original poster did not establish a vote on this proposal.

If people want to transfer files automatically why not use a good FTP package, but for 99.99% of the other 14 Million people on here nowadays this is a dangerous and foolish suggestion.

Because FTP is a client-server protocol, it requires at least a server, and that has to be set up. But setting up an FTP server is not exaclty as difficult as dropping a file into a Skype window. FTP servers are more cumbersome to manage, setting permissions is a burden, properly configuring the virtual directories is just annoying, and it's not even secure.

Also, probably the people who want this feature are capable of setting up an FTP server, but I'm pretty sure there are a lot of other skype users who wouldn't even bother using connecting to it, because it requires a client that has to be set up (yes, even the simple press CTRL-N in Total Commander then paste ftp://user:pass@host.com is hard for some users).


And people want to ACCEPT incoming files automatically, not just transfer in general, that'd imply outgoing transfers (like the horribly implemented MSN Sharing Folders).

I also would love to have the very useful option to allow autoaccept file transfers from trusted contacts for pre-selected file types of a limited size.

Alas, suggestions on this forum that only concern advanced users and would not bring in extra revenue are likely to be ignored.

As an alternative, could not one of the independent developers out there write a Skype plugin or a completely separate program, which would monitor incoming download requests in the Skype application and then simulate (pass on to Skype) a mouse click on the "accept" button? As big of a security hole as that could be, I would give it a try, if it was possible.

Again

Auto-file receive is already implemented on the Mac (OS X) version of Skype.

Apparently the Windows developers of Skype think Windows-users are too stupid to handle a file-auto-receive option.

The mac version has had auto-receive for well-over a year.

Developers of Skype add-ons using the Skype API for Windows: the previous poster noted, there is no Skype API available on the Windows platform to allow for automatic reception of files. So it's not possible to make an add-on.

Bullshit again. Add a filtering capability for the files you want to download to, like "accept these files: *.jpg, *.gif" etc etc. And problem solved.

Since this thread got resurrected, thought I could post my latest experience. Indeed, the MacOS version has the autoreceive feature -- I am using it with one of the "apple crates" at work.

Ever since the new Skype for Windows cleaned up the upload dialogs (and gathered them in the same window, a feature I had myself requested on these fora), and since you can close the upload window without cancelling the upload, I have been quite content with the way this is working...

On a different note, i don't think Windows developers ever spared the users from technical details; on the Macintosh things have always been a lot less transparent and configuration options have been missing or buried away from the user... So Skype is odd in that sense...