Microsoft to Shut Down Skype Today in Favour of Microsoft Teams: How to Transition and What’s Next

Microsoft will likely be retiring its legacy video-conferencing platform Skype at present (May 5). The software, which was intially launched over 20 years in the past in 2003 and later acquired by Microsoft in 2011, provided Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-based video telephony, video-conferencing and voice calling capabilities. The announcement was made in February, with the Redmond-based tech big prioritising Teams app as the primary free client communications providing. Microsoft is migrating current Skype customers to its Teams app, permitting them to log in to the free model utilizing their current Skype credentials on any supported system.

What’s Next

According to Microsoft, Skype Credit, subscriptions, and different paid options will not be provided to customers. Current paid subscribers can proceed to make use of their Skype Credits and subscriptions till the tip of their subsequent renewal interval, whereas Skype Credits can be utilized until exhaustion. Beginning at present, Skype Dial Pad will solely be out there to remaining paid customers from the Skype internet portal and inside Teams.

Microsoft emphasises that the shut down of Skype solely impacts free and paid customers, and never these holding Skype for Business accounts.

How to Transition from Skype to Microsoft Teams:

1. Download Teams in your system from the official Microsoft Teams web site. 
2. Log in with Skype credentials. 
3. Start utilizing Teams with all of the Skype chats and contacts mechanically out there from the offset.

With Skype phasing out, current customers will be capable to log in to the free model of Microsoft Teams utilizing their current credentials on any supported system. It is making the migration course of simpler by mechanically transferring the Skype knowledge, together with chats and contacts to the brand new platform. They may also obtain a notification within the Skype app prompting them to take motion for knowledge migration. Users have till January 2026 to take action, after which their knowledge will likely be deleted.

However, chats between Skype customers and Teams work or college accounts is not going to be migrated, the corporate says. Further, paid Skype options, together with Skype Credit and subscriptions, will not be provided to clients.

Why is Skype Shutting Down

Skype was launched in 2003 and shortly turned one of the vital fashionable VoIP-based video telephony and video-conferencing platforms on the earth. Its excessive success finally led to Microsoft buying the corporate in 2011 for $8.5 billion (roughly Rs. 0.71 lakh crore). However with time, different social media platforms like WhatsApp and Zoom emerged, providing considerably extra performance and suppleness. Zoom skilled a surge pushed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 as Skype fell behind.

Although Microsoft in 2023 revealed that the platform nonetheless had 36 million customers, its market share decreased over time, with the corporate’s personal Teams app rising almost fourfold prior to now two years and providing comparable core options along with many extra.

Thus, the corporate introduced in February that Skype can be retiring on May 5 (at present).