Microsoft pulls the plug on Skype, transitioning users to Teams for calls

• Existing Skype users will be able to sign in to Teams and automatically retain their message history, group chats, and contacts without creating a new account. Alternatively, they can choose to export their data.

• Skype was a hit when it first launched, allowing people to make calls without paying phone companies. However, it struggled in the mobile era and failed to regain momentum even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Microsoft will shut down Skype for online calls on May 5, replacing it with the free version of Microsoft Teams, Al Rai newspaper reported.

The company encouraged Skype users, a service launched 21 years ago, to switch to the free Teams app instead.

Skype was a hit when it first launched, allowing people to make calls without paying phone companies. However, it struggled in the mobile era and failed to regain momentum even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the height of the internet and app boom, many users forgot Skype was still available, given the abundance of other options for chatting and calling.

With the May 5 shutdown approaching, Skype users have ten weeks to decide what to do with their accounts. It remains unclear how many people will be affected.

The last figures Microsoft shared were in 2023, when the service had over 36 million users—a fraction of Skype’s peak of 300 million users, according to a report by TechCrunch, a technology news website.

Existing Skype users will be able to sign in to Teams and automatically retain their message history, group chats, and contacts without creating a new account. Alternatively, they can choose to export their data.

Microsoft’s decision to shut down Skype wasn’t entirely surprising, as speculation had grown since the launch of Teams.