Microsoft has officially discontinued Skype, its once-popular video calling service, as of Monday.
This decision aims to help Microsoft streamline its communication services and focus more on its in-house Teams platform. The announcement was made back in February.
Users can transition to Microsoft Teams by using their existing Skype credentials, allowing for an automatic migration of chats and contacts.
Jeff Tepper, who is the president of Co-Apps and Platforms at Microsoft, noted that “Skype played a crucial role in shaping modern communication and has supported many important interactions.” He expressed a sense of pride in being part of that evolution.
For those who are hesitant about using Teams for free, there’s an option to export data from Skype. If actions aren’t taken, users’ data will be removed by January 2026, according to Microsoft’s guidelines.
Skype, launched in 2003, was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion. At that time, it boasted around 150 million monthly users. However, its user base dwindled to about 23 million after the surge of Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This decline was exacerbated by Skype’s technology, which struggled to keep pace in the smartphone era.
In a different development, Starbase, the site of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has officially been recognized as a Texas city.
Microsoft hasn’t released current figures for Skype users but mentioned that the Teams platform has approximately 320 million active users.
