Skype Shuts Down After 22 Years, Ending an Era of Internet Calling

[MacRumors]

Microsoft's Skype has finally shut down, concluding its 22-year tenure as the once-dominant internet calling and messaging service.

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. For many, Skype was their first experience of speaking to someone halfway across the world for free, a radical shift from the dominance of telcos and expensive long-distance calls.

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 who worked 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.

Existing Skype users had until May 5 to migrate their data and contacts to Teams or seek alternative solutions. Skype's legacy lives on in the VoIP technology it helped to normalize—but as a product, it stands as a case study in how brand recognition alone can't save a stagnant platform.

Article Link: Skype Shuts Down After 22 Years, Ending an Era of Internet Calling

 

[sniffies]

Long live AIM and ICQ

 

[techyOS]

i am happy to have lived in a time when skype was a thing. let us all have a moment of silence for this goat of an application.

 

[jblank]

It was good in its day but it seemed as though its competition quickly outpaced it, when it was needed its most.

 

[FSMBP]

It's crazy...I get why their model was the way it was, but Zoom really made it easy for just a meeting ID/password. No need to remember your login info (and then reset your password etc).

It's why FaceTime is equally .good

 

[chrono1081]

I always loved their little cloud city art back in the day.

 

[WilliApple]

I’ll always love the Skype ringtone. They should at least bring it to MS Teams. (Maybe they did already, don’t use Teams)

 

[abusbey3]

Switched over to Zoom - will only do Teams when H... freezes over.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Can we just get AIM back, please? Or AOL chat rooms.

 

[Biro]

So what program/app do Apple people use most for video calls to those outside the Apple ecosystem these days? I have Microsoft Teams to talk to one or two professionals I have working for me. But, other than that, it’s pretty much just regular phone calls to non-Apple people and FaceTime for those in the ecosystem.

 

[UliBaer]

Sad, but last time i had nearly daily skyped was in the pandemic, where I kept in close contact with loved ones and friends, since we were not allowed to meet in real life. Even our weekly round table with friends, eating and beers was made via Skype, because eating and drinking alone is no fun. So Skype helped us a lot over that time. Also was great, it was already available on all relevant platforms, including exotic Linux distributions and helped keep in touch.
It will be missed by me, bye bye, Skype! 👋

[edit] Now Teams will have to do that job!

 

[dugbug]

Skype is so much easier to work with than teams. Skype's IM capabilities for enterprise are much nicer from an end-user perspective. If only they had refreshed and updated Skype rather than pushed teams. What an odd pivot.

I'm guessing this was VP pet project vs VP pet project and one had to lose.

 

[Green Valkyrie]

I'll be honest, I first used VoIP calling on Yahoo! Messenger in 2001 so when Skype came along 2 years later I didn't understand the hype.

 

[Substance90]

Still works 10x better on macOS than that buggy mess which is Teams.

 

[Sophytaylor6@]

Skype was an easier app compared to its alternatives. I really enjoyed working on it, and it was a user-friendly application. I wish it could come back again to make everyone's life easier.

 

[Plutonius]

I wonder if Microsoft broke even after spending 8.5 billion ?

 

[jml12286]

I remember enjoying Skype, Then I guess Facetime really overtook it for the family communications. For work, we now all have Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. It's amazing how many colleagues and friends really dislike Teams over the other 2. Crazy how Microsoft has reversed from the beloved Skype....

 

[TechRunner]

Really enjoyed using Skype until the market grew and I moved to alternatives. Good memories, far better than the ones I'm currently making while stuck with Teams at work.

 

[ELman]

Going to miss the message translation feature.

 

[Robin Bonathan]

and how will they refund the credit on Skype account?

 

[bluecoast]

Skype was so good back in the day.

I don’t get why Microsoft bought it for a lot of money, let it wither and then killed it.

Just like they did to Nokia too.

Oh right, there’s a pattern here.

 

[xmarcuswildx]

So what program/app do Apple people use most for video calls to those outside the Apple ecosystem these days? I have Microsoft Teams to talk to one or two professionals I have working for me. But, other than that, it’s pretty much just regular phone calls to non-Apple people and FaceTime for those in the ecosystem.

You can FaceTime with people outside of Apple….

 

[Beligerent]

I remember at one point in history, I wanna say 2003, Skype was the only platform that had cross platform video chat. All the other cross platform chat apps lacked either video or audio capability.

 

[kyjaotkb]

I remember moving to London to start an internship at Apple in 2009 and buying myself a SkypePhone, which allowed me unlimited 3G calls and messaging to Skype contacts globally, via the Three network. Even my Apple colleagues were impressed... VOIP over 3G! I have fond, rose-tinted memories ofusing the service, but I also seem to recall the questionable UI on Windows, the frequent dropouts / delays / echos and overall fiddly-ness.

 

[P_Watt]

my elderly brother and I Skyped weekly for the last 20 years or so. We got used to the "let me call you back and see if the Line is any better" or the WhatsApp message saying "I can't get in, you try Skyping me".
It was crap but full of lovely memories. We were sad to hear Skype was on its way out but then I lost my brother before we needed to find someplace else.