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Skype, once a dominant force in video calling with hundreds of millions of users, will shut down in May, Microsoft has confirmed.
The service, which allowed free computer-to-computer calls globally, played a significant role in popularising online voice communication. Though not the first to offer such services, Skype’s accessibility made it one of the world’s most popular platforms.
In a post on X, Skype informed users they could continue their conversations by signing into Microsoft Teams with their existing accounts. Microsoft has yet to issue a separate statement on the matter when contacted by BBC News.
First launched in 2003, Skype was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5bn (£6.1bn), its largest acquisition at the time. The platform was later integrated into Microsoft’s ecosystem, including Xbox and Windows devices.
At its peak, Skype was regarded as a key application of the modern internet. Tech analyst Om Malik highlighted its significance in 2010 when a two-day global outage disrupted communications worldwide.
Following the announcement of Skype’s closure, long-time users shared their reactions. One person reflected, “My best friend and I share many good memories on Skype. This is a sad day and almost a feeling of losing yet another fragment of my adolescence.” Another user, Louise, recalled how she and her partner relied on Skype during their long-distance relationship, describing it as an “exciting invention” before smartphones and WhatsApp calls became mainstream.
At the time of Microsoft’s acquisition, Skype had been downloaded over a billion times and boasted hundreds of millions of users. Microsoft’s then-CEO, Steve Ballmer, had declared, “Together we will create the future of real-time communications.” However, the rise of competitors like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger saw Skype’s influence decline.
A major redesign in 2017, which added features resembling Snapchat, was met with backlash from users. Tech reporter Rachel Kaser wrote at the time, “People are annoyed by this update to the Skype app because it’s fixing something that was never broken to begin with.”
By 2021, speculation about Skype’s fate grew when Microsoft announced Windows 11 would integrate Microsoft Teams by default, omitting Skype for the first time in years. Teams had gained widespread adoption during the Covid pandemic as businesses and individuals relied on virtual meetings.
Following the closure announcement, Microsoft’s president of collaborative apps and platforms, Jeff Teper, stated in a blog post that the company aims to streamline its free communication services around Teams.
“With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing,” he wrote. “Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free.”
Skype users now have the option to transition to Teams or export their chat history, contacts, and call logs before the shutdown.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
The post Skype to Shut Down in May as Microsoft Shifts Focus to Teams appeared first on Arise News.
