Microsoft has announced that the two-decade-old online calling service Skype will be shut down on May 5. The platform is being retired by the corporation, and users are being encouraged to switch to Microsoft Teams. Using their existing Skype login information, Skype users will be able to use Teams for free on any supported device to ease the transition. The new platform will automatically import contacts and chats. Nevertheless, Microsoft has not yet revealed how many workers or users may be impacted by this modification.
What Microsoft said about shutting down Skype
The company told the media in a statement that cutting Skype will improve communication and allow it to concentrate more on its Teams service.
“Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications. We are honored to have been part of the journey,” Microsoft said.
This change was initially noticed by XDA Developers when a notification confirming the impending retirement was found in the most recent version of Skype for Windows beta. The message in the codes of the app states that “Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.”
Even though many people might have predicted Skype’s inevitable doom years ago, it kept getting improvements. According to the analysis, Skype’s core technology was not designed for the smartphone age, which contributed to the fall.
Established in 2003, Skype transformed the conventional landline market by introducing reasonably priced audio and video chats, eventually drawing in millions of customers. However, the platform has found it difficult to compete with rivals like Zoom and Salesforce’s Slack in recent years.
In order to cater to the corporate market that had previously relied on Skype, Microsoft refocused on Teams by integrating it with its Office suite during the pandemic as distant work and the need for online business calls expanded.
Along with Internet Explorer and Windows Phone, Skype is now one of several Microsoft initiatives that have fallen short of expectations. Google has made many tries with programs like Hangouts and Duo, but other tech giants have also struggled with online communication tools.
Skype had about 150 million monthly subscribers when Microsoft outbid Google and Facebook to purchase the service in 2011 for $8.5 billion. That figure has dropped to about 23 million by 2020, despite a temporary spike during the epidemic.
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