Skype is Shutting Down After Two Decades
fliptop writes:
Microsoft is shutting down Skype, the internet-based phone and video service that was once the dominant way of staying connected in the mid 2000s:
Skype will "no longer be available" to use starting in May, the company confirmed on X, telling users that their log-in information can be used on Microsoft Teams' free tier in the "coming days."
Skype's shutdown comes 14 years after Microsoft bought the service for $8.5 billion in cash, marking the company's largest ever acquisition at the time. Microsoft integrated the service into its other products, such as Office and its ill-fated mobile operating service Windows Phone.
[...] Skype's popularity has faded in recent years, despite a pandemic bounce that lifted other competing products, including Zoom, Google Meet and Cisco Webex. Skype has also faced increased competition over the last decade and a half from apps like Apple's FaceTime and Meta's WhatsApp. Plus, Microsoft has been investing heavily in Teams, which offers many of the same services.
From TechCrunch:
Microsoft is encouraging users to move over to Teams Free. This offers some additional features not available in Skype, such as calendar integrations, but Teams Free lacks other key features that were hallmarks of Skype - specifically, phone-call functionality that allowed users to call mobile and landline numbers, as well as receive phone calls with a Skype phone number.
Microsoft began deprecating these services back in December, preventing users from adding any further credit to their accounts while also putting a halt on buying Skype numbers. Users were still able to make calls to phone numbers with a valid monthly subscription or any remaining credit they had, but the subscription renewals will come to an end on April 3.
For legacy users who still have credit in their accounts, Microsoft will be making a Skype Dial Pad available both in the Skype web portal and in Teams for an indefinite period.
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