Skype is being retired in favour of Microsoft Teams. Photo Credit Shutterstock Yalcin Sonat
Get ready to day goodbye to the app that has kept you connected to family and friends for over two decades.
22 years after its first launch, Microsoft has announced Skype will become unavailable on May 5, 2025. Niklas Zennström from Sweden and Janus Friis from Denmark released the communication app back in 2003 and it has kept the world connected with one another ever since.
Skype was the first service that made it free to call and make video calls internationally, when on traditional phones it cost a lot of money to communicate country to country. 14 years ago, it was acquired for $8.5 billion in cash by Microsoft, Microsoft tried to make it part of their other services but it hasn’t been able to keep up with other competitors like WhatsApp and Facetime.
Why is Skype closing down?
Skype has slowly taken a decline with other big names in the communications world, like Zoom and Teams being chosen ahead of it, particularly during the national lockdowns that made communication apps a lifeline for many people.
Microsoft said: “In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype”
Those people who still use Skype will be able to use their log in details to access Microsoft Teams’ free tier, which Microsoft are saying will usher in “their next chapter”. In a post to their blog Microsoft gave their Skype users some advice about the upcoming changes. “Export your Skype data. If you prefer not to migrate to Teams, you can instead export your data including chats, contacts, and call history. Skype will remain available until May 5, 2025, giving users time to explore Teams and decide on the option that works best for them.”
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