As of this Monday, May 5th, Skype has officially been shut down. The Skype app, as well as all browser links, now direct instead to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft announced in March that the platform, which debuted in 2003, would be retired in favor of Teams. All Skype users will now be able to log into Teams with their Skype credentials, and should be able to port their message history and contacts over to the contemporary platform.
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Microsoft purchased Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011, but the video-call app quickly depleted in value from there. Wired details the platform’s downfall, credited to a one-two punch consisting of an unpopular redesign and the capitalization of new programs like Zoom during the coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft has since spent the last several years progressively integrating Skype into Teams, culminating in the program’s full retirement this year.
The following was originally published March 3,2025:
Just months after a major overhaul of the app, Microsoft has announced that it is shutting down Skype. Initially launched in 2003, Skype was a pioneering program in making video calls accessible to the masses. Microsoft said in its announcement that the program will be retired on May 5th.
Thankfully, all Skype users will be provided with a free consumer version of Microsoft Teams, and will be able to log into Teams with their Skype credentials. From there, Microsoft says, the user will have access to their message history, group chats, and contacts. Alternatively, if users wish to create a new account entirely, the option to export this data will be available as well.
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One feature that is being left behind with Skype is the ability to call domestic and international numbers via the app. “Part of the reason is we look at the usage and the trends, and this functionality was great at the time when voice over IP (VoIP) wasn’t available and mobile data plans were very expensive,” explains Amit Fulay, vice president of product at Microsoft, according to The Verge. “If we look at the future, that’s not a thing we want to be in.”
