Skype Is Finally Shutting Down on May 5

[MacRumors]

Microsoft today announced that it will officially retire Skype on May 5, 2025, concluding its 14-year tenure as the owner of the once-dominant internet calling and messaging service (via Bloomberg).

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion in what was then its largest-ever acquisition. At its peak, Skype had more than 300 million monthly active users and was synonymous with internet-based voice and video calling. The service steadily declined in relevance in recent years, with its active user base shrinking to approximately 36 million by 2023 as competitors such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Microsoft's own Teams platform gained traction.

Teams has since grown to 320 million monthly users, far surpassing Skype's remaining user base. The company's decision to discontinue Skype is apparently part of a broader effort to prioritize artificial intelligence features within Teams. Employees currently working on Skype will be reassigned to other projects rather than being laid off.

Skype played a key role in popularizing VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, enabling businesses and individuals to connect around the world with minimal costs. It also served as an early testbed for AI-powered real-time language translation, a feature Microsoft showcased in a widely publicized demonstration in 2014. However, its frequent UI changes, reliability issues, ill-conceived social media-like features, gradual shift toward enterprise, and inability to keep pace with newer competitors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately led to its obsolescence.

As Microsoft finalizes the shutdown process, existing Skype users will have until May 5 to migrate their data and contacts to Teams or seek alternative solutions.

Article Link: Skype Is Finally Shutting Down on May 5

 

[Astuces iOS]

Hahaha now use FaceTime.

 

[GMShadow]

part of a broader effort to prioritize artificial intelligence features within Teams

Part of Microsoft's greater commitment to make all of their products progressively worse.

And I know, it's hard to imagine Teams being any worse, but I've no doubt they'll manage to do it.

 

[dannys1]

I've never really had to use any of them much, thankfully as I hate video calls. But I never understand why Zoom just popped up seemingly out of no where during Covid for all the mainstream people to use instead of the already established Skype. Suddenly then Teams appeared as well.

I don't really understand why they're all the same thing working in the same way - they're equally good/bad as each other. Plus you've got video calling now on every single messaging app, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, WeChat, Snapchat, probably Instagram somewhere?

 

[Fuzzball84]

Have some great memories using this service in the past. Skype is another brand along with Twitter that has been swept away.

Something good that evoked positivity and connection between people. Gone, and in its place a very useful tool but not as personal, Teams.

Saying to someone I’ll Team you, sounds a little weird too 😂

 

[Moonjumper]

Skype used to work well when others did not. Microsoft have replaced it with Teams which doesn't work well when other do.

 

[Fuzzball84]

I've never really had to use any of them much, thankfully as I hate video calls. But I never understand why Zoom just popped up seemingly out of no where during Covid for all the mainstream people to use instead of the already established Skype. Suddenly then Teams appeared as well.

I don't really understand why they're all the same thing working in the same way - they're equally good/bad as each other. Plus you've got video calling now on every single messaging app, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, WeChat, Snapchat, probably Instagram somewhere?

I never got into using FaceTime much. WhatsApp has been ok but Teams has been the most useful for me.

I never looked into the history of Zoom.

I think marketing and branding and the name has a huge impact on the service. We underestimate what a good name can do, it can make or break a products that have essentially the same features and performance.

 

[contacos]

Didn't even know this still existed. I thought it was replaced by Teams

 

[zorinlynx]

Imagine thinking anyone will want to use Teams outside of work.

 

[Bustycat]

The previous owner (eBay) and current owner (Microsoft) just wasted money on buying Skype but have done nothing good for it.

 

[AllergyDoc]

I don't care for video calls, either. Our family did use Zoom for meetings with our parents's probate guy. Fortunately I'm mostly retired and so don't have much of a need for these apps. When my wife worked for a university she had tons of Zoom meetings during the covid years. She hated them.

 

[iConnected]

its frequent UI changes, reliability issues, ill-conceived social media-like features, gradual shift toward enterprise, and inability to keep pace with newer competitors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately led to its obsolescence.

Basically, they spaffed $8.5bn on it, only to then run it into the ground. Great job 🤣

 

[Böhme417]

That’s a bummer. Skype was always my favorite. Teams sucks, and I refuse to use Zoom.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Imagine thinking anyone will want to use Teams outside of work.

Yeah but people use Mac and Windows in and out of work too.

I got into the habit of more work based tasks in windows and Mac was for home. But I’m not strict about it I like bits of each.

You can use different accounts for work and home anyhow, still possible to separate.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Basically, they spaffed $8.5bn on it, only to then run it into the ground. Great job 🤣

Apple have spaffed things too. And they didn’t even buy anything.

Butterfly keyboards, I still can’t figure out what happened to have such a big engineering fail like that. The amount of testing they do

 

[zorinlynx]

Yeah but people use Mac and Windows in and out of work too.

I got into the habit of more work based tasks in windows and Mac was for home. But I’m not strict about it I like bits of each.

You can use different accounts for work and home anyhow, still possible to separate.

The thing is, Teams is just.... not very great. It's laggy and the UI is complex and annoying. It's something I put up with for work; for personal communications there's so many better options; I just can't see anyone using Teams willingly.

But then some people are masochists, or don't know any better. So who knows.

 

[Reason077]

Wait, what?! This is the first I have heard of this. I still use Skype fairly frequently for one thing: making international calls to people/numbers that aren’t on FaceTime or WhatsApp.

Skype is massively cheaper than phone company rates for this. Like 50-100x cheaper in some cases. And importantly, numbers you are calling through Skype see correct caller ID, you don’t come up as some suspicious ghost call! And the call quality is usually great.

Can anyone recommend a good alternative VOIP app for making international calls, if Skype shuts down?

 

[CarpalMac]

It's been 5yrs since the pandemic struck and WFH become so prevelant and yet Teams is such a hot mess piece of cr@p still. It is shocking.

 

[I7guy]

Teams, yuck. Is there really any small footprint, video calling and screen share app out there that doesn’t hamper you and can be trusted?

Zoom is great with a corporate subscription. Don’t want to install teams. TeamViewer used to be good. Google meet?

 

[Fuzzball84]

The thing is, Teams is just.... not very great. It's laggy and the UI is complex and annoying. It's something I put up with for work; for personal communications there's so many better options; I just can't see anyone using Teams willingly.

But then some people are masochists, or don't know any better. So who knows.

I had a terrible experience early on with FaceTime and had to give up and used WhatsApp instead.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Wait, what?! This is the first I have heard of this. I still use Skype fairly frequently for one thing: making international calls to people/numbers that aren’t on FaceTime or WhatsApp.

Skype is massively cheaper than phone company rates for this. Like 50-100x cheaper in some cases. And importantly, numbers you are calling through Skype see correct caller ID, you don’t come up as some suspicious ghost call! And the call quality is usually great.

Can anyone recommend a good alternative VOIP app for making international calls, if Skype shuts down?

Yes, in the past I used Skype exactly for this purpose and it was awesome.

 

[zorinlynx]

Teams, yuck. Is there really any small footprint, video calling and screen share app out there that doesn’t hamper you and can be trusted?

Zoom is great with a corporate subscription. Don’t want to install teams. TeamViewer used to be good. Google meet?

Discord is pretty good. It's targeted at gamers but the a/v features are well implemented and the UI is... okay at least.

 

[Reason077]

I never understand why Zoom just popped up seemingly out of no where during Covid for all the mainstream people to use instead of the already established Skype.

Because zoom had a much better, simpler, streamlined UI designed specifically for videoconferencing. And quick no-nonsense onboarding for new users.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Skype was great. I recall making calls to phones via Powerbook G4 (using buds) through Skype.

And Skype is still my favorite cross-platform option. It still feels superior to Zoom and similar. I'm very sorry to see it go.

 

[Alexrat1996]

question all since my mom uses this for her office skype with her number she pays service is there a way to transfer her number to a different service her number so she dont lose her number ?