Skype shuts down after 21 years, users urged to switch to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft pulls the plug on Skype, urges users to switch to Teams

It’s official — Skype has signed off after more than 20 years.

As of Tuesday (6 May), the iconic app that once defined long-distance video calls is no longer in operation.

This marks the conclusion of a 21-year journey that revolutionised global communication, especially in the early 2000s, when Skype brought free international calls to anyone with an internet connection.

However, Skype teased in a Facebook post: “This isn’t the end — it’s a new beginning”.

Source: Skype on Facebook

Microsoft Teams to replace Skype

Microsoft, which acquired Skype in 2011, confirmed the shutdown in February, citing a move to streamline its free consumer communications offerings and better meet customer needs.

While the Skype ringtone has faded, the conversations don’t have to.

Users were given several months’ notice before the final disconnect, with options to either switch to Microsoft Teams for free or export their Skype data.

Source: appshunter.io on Unsplash

Microsoft assured a seamless transition to Teams, with all chats and contacts intact.

Teams will offer the same features as Skype — one-on-one calls, group calls, messaging, and file sharing — along with additional enhancements.

From pandemic staple to digital memory

Launched in 2003 and acquired by Microsoft in 2011, Skype was once the go-to app for everything from casual catch-ups to business meetings.

Source: Mati Flo on Unsplash

But over time, its popularity faded — not due to poor performance, but because newer platforms took the spotlight.

Its usage surged again during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but by then, rivals had already pulled ahead.

Zoom, for instance, was free, more reliable, and quickly became the default, Wired noted.

Ironically, Microsoft Teams emerged as one of Skype’s successors, turning Skype into something of a legacy app in its final years.