The days of the well-known communication service Skype were already numbered. Now, Microsoft has shut down the service. Users must switch to Microsoft Teams.
The end of the digital calling service of yesteryear has been known for some time. Research by XDA Developers into an earlier Skype for Windows preview revealed that Microsoft had built hidden code into this version announcing the end of the service. This hidden code states the following:“Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams’.No further announcements have been made, but the message is clear.
Source: XDA Developers
Microsoft has made its decision and is forcing Skype users to migrate to Microsoft Teams, specifically the consumer version of this tool.
No surprise
Microsoft’s move was not surprising. Skype, which was acquired by the tech giant in 2011 for $8.5 billion, has been used much less in recent years. This has been especially true since 2019, when Microsoft Teams, as well as competing services such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Discord, gained the upper hand in the VoIP calling and messaging market. To illustrate: during the pandemic, Skype received hardly any attention as an alternative (video) conferencing platform.
Until now, Microsoft Teams and Skype have always coexisted for business users. Skype was even used as the backbone for the further expansion of the more popular Teams.
In recent years, Microsoft has attempted to revive Skype, for example by adding features such as sending short videos and the AI chat app Bing, the predecessor of Copilot. However, Microsoft has not succeeded in attracting many new users. Necessary patches for Skype were released from time to time.
The latest update dates from May 2024, and since December last year, it is no longer possible to purchase Skype credits.
Origins of Skype
Skype started in 2003 and was one of the most popular VoIP messaging tools at the time. The platform was founded by Swedish IT entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and Danish business partner Janus Friis. These two were also responsible for the P2P platform Kazaa.
The VoIP messaging platform initially used a hybrid P2P and client system. After its acquisition by Microsoft in 2011, the service became a fully Azure-based service.
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