Microsoft Skype shutdown confirmed! Service to end in May, users urged to switch to Teams

San Francisco: Microsoft on Friday said it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan bought in 2011.

"Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available. Over the coming days you can sign in to Microsoft Teams Free with your Skype account to stay connected with all your chats and contacts. Thank you for being part of Skype," said a post from Skype support on X, directing users to sign into Microsoft's Teams platform for further use of its services.

Launched in 2003, Skype was among the pioneers in internet-based voice and video communication. Microsoft acquired the platform in 2011 and made several attempts to modernise and integrate it into its ecosystem.

Over the years, Skype received multiple redesigns, including efforts to merge it with Windows 10 Mobile’s Phone and Messaging apps in a bid to position it as a competitor to Apple’s iMessage.

However, in recent years, Skype has seen a decline in relevance. Microsoft failed to capitalise on the platform’s potential during the pandemic, with users shifting to alternative communication apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, and Discord.

The platform was further sidelined by Microsoft itself with the introduction of Teams in 2017, which was developed as a competitor to Slack and became widely adopted by businesses for internal communication.