Today, May 5, 2025, the once-popular messenger Skype, which has been around for over 20 years, has officially shut down.
This was announced by Jeff Teper, President of the Collaboration Apps and Platforms division at Microsoft, in an interview with CNBC.
Skype Officially Shuts Down Today
Teper explained that the company decided to focus on the development of its newer platform, Teams, which already integrates most of Skype's features.
“We learned a lot from Skype, but it’s time to move on,” Teper noted in the CNBC interview.
Microsoft is urging all Skype users to switch to Teams, offering login via Skype credentials. Contacts and chat history will be automatically transferred.
Additionally, Skype users can utilize any remaining balance in Teams. The sale of Skype subscriptions had been halted earlier, and user data from the messenger is available for export.
Skype's Popularity: What Made the Messenger So Successful
Skype was a platform that allowed users to communicate globally. Millions of individuals and companies used Skype for free video and voice calls, instant messaging, and file sharing.
Skype was available on mobile phones, computers, and tablets, providing accessibility anywhere users needed it.
What is Microsoft Teams: The Successor to Skype
In light of today’s shutdown of Skype, Microsoft is actively promoting its communication platform, Microsoft Teams, as the main alternative.
Microsoft Teams is a comprehensive communication platform developed by Microsoft. It offers video chat, text chat, file sharing, and other communication features. Teams is available for download on Windows, Mac, as well as iOS and Android devices.
A significant advantage of Teams is its integration with other applications via Microsoft AppSource, allowing for the use of third-party apps.
Teams’ collaborative functions are designed for both remote and in-person meetings, enabling students to access the same tasks and resources regardless of their location.
Teachers can utilize Microsoft Teams to create a virtual “class team,” where they can conduct online meetings with students, deliver lessons, organize class activities, publish assignments, create tests, evaluate student work, and provide feedback.