In a move that will likely surprise no one, it appears Microsoft is gearing up to shut down Skype in the coming months. Spotted by XDA Developers, the latest Skype for Windows preview reportedly includes a hidden string that reads “Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.” No other details are provided, but it certainly sounds like Skype’s days are numbered.
Skype first launched in 2003 and was a very popular VOIP messaging platform in its heyday. Microsoft would later acquire Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, and in the years since has attempted to integrate it across many products, including Windows, Windows Phone, and even Xbox.
The company has updated and redesigned Skype a number of times in the last decade, including splitting the app up in an attempt to integrate the service into Windows 10 Mobile’s Phone and Messaging apps to position it as a viable iMessage competitor.
in the last handful of years, Skype has been seriously neglected. Microsoft failed to position Skype as a viable option during the pandemic, and the service has largely fallen by the wayside in the eyes of consumers. Most people have moved to more modern platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, iMessage, and Discord.
Microsoft did use Skype as a backbone to build out its popular Teams service for enterprise customers, but the experiences between the Teams and Skype apps are very different. Interestingly, it looks like Microsoft will encourage the remaining Skype users to switch to Teams, though this is likely referring to Teams for Consumers.
Skype in its current form is a sorry excuse for a messaging platform. It’s a web-based app on Windows, which is very slow and does a terrible job at syncing conversations and notifications across devices. The app also doesn’t even support Windows on Arm, which is something Microsoft has been pushing to adopt over the last half a decade.
In the last few years, Microsoft has tried to revive Skype with experiments such as Skype Clips, which let users send short video messages to each other without calling them. In 2024, it also gained access to Copilot, self messaging, and a revamped mobile experience designed to compete with rival platforms.
Nothing seems to have worked, as the service still hasn’t seemed to have gained much traction. The last time Skype received a notable update was in May 2024. Microsoft recently shuttered its Skype Number service, which let you buy a real phone number that could be used to call other phone numbers not on the Skype service.
So, it seems Skype’s days are numbered. Microsoft is yet to officially confirm that Skype is being shut down, but we’ll be sure to update this article when the official announcement arrives. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update accordingly.
