Microsoft To Shut Down Skype In Could, Shifting Customers To Groups

Microsoft is about to discontinue Skype in Could, requiring customers to transition to Microsoft Groups. As pointed by XDA Developers, hidden code found within the newest Skype for Home windows preview reveals a message stating, “Beginning in Could, Skype will now not be obtainable. Proceed your calls and chats in Groups.” Whereas no official announcement has been made, the transfer seems definitive.

This choice is unsurprising given Skype’s decline in reputation over time. Microsoft acquired the platform in 2011 for $8.5 billion, however for the reason that rise of Microsoft Groups and opponents like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Discord, Skype utilization has dwindled. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, Skype was largely ignored in favor of Zoom and Groups.

Microsoft has allowed Skype and Groups to coexist, with Skype serving as a basis for the event of Groups. Regardless of efforts to modernize Skype with options like AI-powered chat and brief video messages, Microsoft failed to draw new customers. The gradual discontinuation grew to become evident when Skype credit had been now not obtainable for buy as of December 2023. The final replace was launched in Could 2024, indicating that Microsoft had been slowly winding down assist.

Skype was initially launched in 2003 by Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and Danish businessman Janus Friis, who had additionally created the peer-to-peer file-sharing platform Kazaa. Initially, Skype operated on a hybrid peer-to-peer and client-server mannequin. Following Microsoft’s acquisition, the service was totally built-in into Azure.

With its phase-out now imminent, Skype’s legacy as a pioneering VoIP platform will quickly come to an finish, as Microsoft focuses its efforts on Groups as the first communication service.

Filed in Cellphones >Computers >Web. Learn extra about Microsoft and Skype.