Video calling service Skype announced that they are shutting down their service starting May this year.
In a statement posted by Skype on X (formerly Twitter), they wrote, “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.”
Skype was one of the most popular websites before wherein people could make voice calls through their computers to their family and friends all over the world for free. Although they are not the first or only company to offer this kind of service, it helped in popularizing the concept.
Both current and former Skype users shared their thoughts on social media with some of them recalling a time they used the video call service and the impact it had on their lives after hearing that it would soon be shut down.
One user wrote, “My brother and I used to call our grandmother on repeat using Skype. That app really made the world a smaller place, for free you could see a relative that you previously only see once a year. Now Skype is passing away like they did.”
“10 year old me who skyped his cousins with a gprs connection just so they could play club penguin together would be so sad today,” a second user wrote.
A third user wrote, “I never thought I would actually feel sentimental about an app being shut down, but here we are.”
THE END OF AN ERA
Thank you Skype for being there in early stages of the internet and making it easy and more possible to have communication with the friends I made all over the world.
— nanananana BATMOM (@annabananaz25) March 1, 2025
I was around 13 when I started in 2009, and Skype was a good way to keep in touch with family and friends from around the world
Now I'm all about Discord, which would be here if it weren't for Skype
So long, Skype, you were a real one (pours one out) https://t.co/evO2Hkbb9L
— Bleu Major 🦊💙 (@iAmBleuMajor) March 1, 2025
Rip Skype, the OG gamers app
I've started my gaming journey with Skype and met so many friends out on there. https://t.co/Yfz7JpQnXh— Aymeric De Witte (87%) (@AymericDewitte) March 1, 2025
Skype truly influenced my teenage years. Those 8+ hour long calls after a rough day at school helped me through so much.
It was such big part when starting my journey online, helping me connect with other creators and sharing video ideas.
Thank you for everything. 🩵 https://t.co/mSPsaLy0hu
— Gabe Erwin (@gabe) February 28, 2025
End of an era, tbh.
If it wasn’t for Skype, I probably never would have became a voice actor and met so many of the amazing people I knew/know today. https://t.co/d771XcIp2G
— Alec Miller (On hiatus) (@SoggusBoggus) March 1, 2025
Skype helped bring ya’ll Season 1 of The Magnus Protocol and many other great projects.
RIP Skype x https://t.co/001Xh8BXLX
— Billie Lauren Hindle 👁️🎭 (@BillieLHindle) March 1, 2025
this is so devastating i met some of my closest friends on this app almost a decade ago 💔 thank u skype https://t.co/iyX1vTfLoQ
— Domin (@Domin1226) March 1, 2025
Skype will forever have a special place in my heart. My first job out of college was working on Skype at a PR agency. Made me realize I wanted to be a technology journalist. Thanks for all the memories. https://t.co/V8o0XUdg8V
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) March 1, 2025
Skype was how me and hubby stayed in touch after he moved away in high school. So many late night video calls full of jokes, tears, and general silliness.
You will be missed, Skype! https://t.co/wXegNVzfWg
— Faye Moonsong (@FayeMoonsong) March 1, 2025
Jeff Teper, the company’s president of collaborative apps and platforms, wrote a blog post for Microsoft in response to the announcement of Skype’s closure.
He stated that the company wants to streamline its free services to focus on Teams.
“With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free,” he said.
The statement also mentioned that users of Skype now have the option to export their Skype data, including contacts, chats, and call history, or switch to Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft stated that users of Skype who pay for certain services will be able to continue using the service until their subsequent renewal term.
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