Microsoft officially discontinued the operation of Skype on May 5, along with transitioning existing users to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams, a newer platform, was launched in 2017, which allows seamless collaboration and video conferencing. This marks the end of a 22-year journey after Skype played an essential role in shaping communication in the digital era. Skype’s closure exemplifies how obsolete technology is rapidly retired in the modern age.
Transfer to Microsoft Teams
With the announcement of the discontinuation of Skype, Microsoft transformed the farewell to users through a message stating, “Goodbye Skype, hello Teams.” Users can still utilize their previous Skype login information. The historic data, including conversations and contacts, will be readily available on the new platform. In Microsoft’s statement, they assured users, saying, “Enjoy the features you love about Skype, including free calling and messaging,” indicating fundamental properties relied on by the users are integrated into Teams.
The Birth and Rise of Skype
In 2003, a group of engineers in Tallinn, Estonia, founded Skype. It has become a telecommunication tool that allows voice conversations over the internet, also known as internet telephony. It used Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which transforms sounds into digital signals. Skype’s features continued to develop with eBay’s purchase in 2005, unlocking capabilities such as video calls and further evolving internet communication.
Microsoft Calibration and Most Active Point
To this day, Skype is owned by Microsoft after purchasing it from eBay in 2011. At this time, Skype had a massive global reach and was one of the most popular platforms. Skype had over 170 million users around the world, according to Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer at the date of the purchase, emphasizing its massive influence and popularity. The use of Skype is so prevalent that Ballmer stated, “The Skype brand has become a verb, nearly synonymous with video and voice communications,” which emphasizes the fact that society adopted using the term Skype for making calls.
Declining Usage and Competition
Having achieved considerable success and garnered public attention, Skype appears to be struggling with popularity in recent years. Although usage of communication applications boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the source specifies that this growth only benefitted competitors, rather than revitalizing Skype. Competing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex are all noted to have increased usage during the pandemic.
Furthermore, Skype is said to have also faced increased competition from integrated mobile ecosystem messaging and calling apps like Apple’s FaceTime and Meta’s WhatsApp. In addition, Microsoft has reportedly been investing heavily in the development and marketing of Teams, which has also been reported by CNN. Teams features a large portion of the communication and collaboration services that Skype once provided, shifting focus and resources away from the older platform. Furthermore, the company has reported that Skype currently has 30 million monthly users, defining this number as only one-tenth of its peak value, showcasing a drastic reduction in the number of active users.
Microsoft Remembers the Impact of Skype
In a blog post, Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s president of collaborative apps and platforms, provided insights on the history and impact of Skype. As he noted, “Skype contributes significantly to the realization of modern communications and preservation of numerous memorable events, and we are privileged to have been part of the history.” This reflection recognizes the platform’s advances in bridging communication gaps during its over 20 years of service.
Downloading Chat Conversations
Users who need to retain their conversations will be able to do so even as Skype officially shuts down. Reportedly, users can save their chat history via the Export page on the Skype website. This involves signing in, choosing the data to be exported, and sending a request. Subsequently, Skype compiles the requested data and compresses it into a Zip file, which is then made available for download.
The source notes that this process may take several minutes based on the volume of chat history. Until January 2026, users can access the data and download it. This is ample time to enable users to migrate their conversations before the records are permanently removed from the platform. This is a retrospective move to encourage users to shift to Microsoft Teams for all future communication requirements.
