Microsoft has said that it will stop offering its popular video calling and messaging service, Skype, in May 2025.
The company stated in a post on X on Friday that customers may switch to Microsoft Teams and still access their contacts and chats.
“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,” the post reads.
In August 2003, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström founded Skype.
Skype gained global traction, reaching 54 million registered users by 2005.
That same year, eBay acquired Skype for $2.6 billion but later sold a majority stake to an investor group led by Silver Lake, a private equity firm, in 2009.
In 2011, Microsoft took full ownership and integrated Skype into its ecosystem.
Unfortunately, the platform has struggled to stay above water in the face of dominant competitors like Zoom, WhatsApp, and even Microsoft’s Teams.
Microsoft explained the decision, stating that it is in line with its objective of simplifying communication tools.
“The way we communicate has evolved significantly over the years. From instant messaging to video calls, technology has continuously transformed how we connect with each other,” Microsoft said.
“To streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub.
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The tech giant also confirmed that it will no longer offer paid Skype features to new customers, including Skype credits and phone call subscriptions.
Microsoft added that existing paid users can continue their subscriptions until their next renewal period, while those with credits will have until May 2025 to use their balance.
