Microsoft is Shutting Down Skype

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 28, 2025 4 Views 5 Min Read
Microsoft is Shutting Down Skype
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Summary

  • Skype will be retired on May 5, 2025, with Microsoft focusing on Teams for communication.
  • Microsoft’s shift from Skype to Teams was evident with the introduction of Teams in 2016.
  • Users have 10 weeks to transfer data to Teams and can continue using Skype credits within Teams.

After more than two decades as a pioneer in internet-based calling, Skype is officially being retired on May 5, 2025, as Microsoft shifts its focus entirely to Teams. Microsoft‘s move gives existing Skype users just 10 weeks to decide their next steps.

The decline of Skype has been a long time coming. Microsoft, which acquired the service in 2011, first signaled a shift in direction in 2016 with the introduction of Teams, its collaboration-focused platform designed to integrate messaging, video calls, and third-party apps. Although Skype for Business had launched a year prior in 2015, the arrival of Teams suggested Microsoft was moving toward a more comprehensive cloud communications strategy. Initially perceived as a competitor to Slack, Teams quickly became the company’s flagship tool for workplace communication, offering a suite of integrated features that overlapped significantly with Skype’s core services.

A promotional visual for Xbox showing several controllers.

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It remains unclear how many users will be affected by the shutdown on May 5, 2025. “We know this is a big deal for our Skype users, and we’re very grateful for their support of Skype and all the learnings that have factored into Teams over the last seven years,” Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms, told TechCrunch this week. “At this point, putting all our focus behind Teams will let us give a simpler message and drive faster innovation.” Between now and the May 5 shutdown date, users will have the opportunity to transfer their contacts and chat data to Microsoft Teams. Additionally, those who wish to retain their Skype conversations can download their data using the app’s built-in export tool.

When is Skype Shutting Down?

  • Skype is shutting down on May 5, 2025.

Skype gained popularity in the 2000s by allowing users to communicate without relying on traditional phone services. However, it struggled to adapt in the mobile era and failed to see a significant revival during the pandemic. With numerous other messaging and calling platforms available, many people have overlooked the fact that Skype still exists. “We’ve learned a lot from Skype over the years that we’ve put into Teams as we’ve evolved teams over the last seven to eight years,” Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms, said in an interview with CNBC. “But we felt like now is the time because we can be simpler for the market, for our customer base, and we can deliver more innovation faster just by being focused on Teams.”

In the coming days, Microsoft will begin enabling users to sign in to Teams, which launched a new Games for Work app in 2022, using their Skype credentials, with contacts and chats automatically transferring over. Additionally, users will have the option to export their Skype data. As part of the transition, Microsoft will discontinue the sale of monthly Skype subscriptions, though any remaining Skype credits will still be usable within Teams. The last available data from Microsoft, shared in 2023, reported 36 million active Skype users, far from its peak of 300 million.

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