RIP Skype

Users have 10 weeks to migrate data as Microsoft phases out the once-dominant calling platform

Image by Nyoman Suartawan from Pixabay (with added elements courtesy of Canva)

Microsoft is shutting down Skype on May 5, 2025, after 23 years, shifting its focus entirely to Teams.

Here are some key points:

• Users have 10 weeks to migrate their contacts and chat data to Teams or export their information.

• Skype, which once had 300 million users at its peak, had declined to 36 million daily users by 2023.

• The move comes as Microsoft consolidates its communications platforms, having already phased out Skype for Business in 2021.

• Teams has seen significant growth, with consumer calling minutes increasing fourfold in the past two years.

• While Teams Free offers some features Skype lacked, it will not support traditional phone calls via PSTN, reflecting changes in consumer habits.

• Skype users can still use remaining credits for phone calls through a limited Skype Dial Pad. If no action is taken, user data will be retained until the end of 2025 before deletion.

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