Close Menu
Breaking News in Technology & Business – Tech Geekwire

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Crawford County, Pa. to Use AI to Review 911 Response Quality

    July 5, 2025

    The Rise of Small Language Models: Enhancing AI Efficiency and ROI

    July 5, 2025

    CMS Announces 6-Year Prior Authorization Program Pilot

    July 5, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Breaking News in Technology & Business – Tech GeekwireBreaking News in Technology & Business – Tech Geekwire
    • New
      • Amazon
      • Digital Health Technology
      • Microsoft
      • Startup
    • AI
    • Corporation
    • Crypto
    • Event
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Breaking News in Technology & Business – Tech Geekwire
    Home ยป Microsoft to Retire Skype in 2025, Shifting Focus to Microsoft Teams
    Microsoft

    Microsoft to Retire Skype in 2025, Shifting Focus to Microsoft Teams

    techgeekwireBy techgeekwireMarch 1, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email

    Microsoft has announced the retirement of Skype, the once-dominant voice-over-IP (VoIP) service, with the shutdown scheduled for May 5, 2025. This decision marks the end of an era for the platform and reflects Microsoft’s strategic shift toward its communications and collaboration hub, Microsoft Teams (free).

    Jeff Teper, President of Collaborative Apps and Platforms at Microsoft, confirmed the news in a recent blog post. The tech giant is streamlining its consumer communication offerings to better meet customer needs and will be focusing on Microsoft Teams (free).

    Skype’s origins trace back to a peer-to-peer music sharing program called Kazaa, evolving into a popular platform for making calls over the internet without incurring phone company charges. eBay acquired Skype in 2005 for $2.5 billion, initially with plans to integrate it into its auction process. However, that integration never came to fruition.

    Subsequently under eBay’s ownership, Skype introduced video calls, further boosting its popularity. But the company later admitted they had overvalued the unit and offloaded most of its stake to a venture capitalist.

    In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, its largest acquisition at the time. The move, however, was not without controversy. A 2017 redesign introduced Snapchat-like features, which angered many users who felt the changes detracted from Skype’s core functionality.

    Earlier attempts to update the platform met resistance as well. In 2018, Microsoft announced the retirement of Skype 7.0 (Classic Skype), urging users to upgrade to version 8.0. This move was met with significant backlash from users who preferred the classic interface, leading Microsoft to reverse its decision and continue support for the older version.

    Competition from services like WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, and FaceTime contributed to a decline in Skype’s usage. By 2023, Skype had 36 million daily active users, a decrease from 40 million in March 2020.

    Teper noted that Microsoft Teams offers many of the same core features as Skype, including one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. In addition, Teams provides enhanced features like meeting hosting, calendar management, and community building, all available for free.

    Users will be able to use their Skype credentials to access Microsoft Teams, and they have the option to export their data, including chats, contacts, and call history. Microsoft is providing resources to assist users in migrating to Teams.

    “Thank you for being part of Skype,” Teper wrote. “Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of the journey.”

    “We also understand that change can be challenging and want you to know that we’re here to support you every step of the way,” he concluded. “We’re excited about the new opportunities that Teams brings and are committed to helping you stay connected in new and meaningful ways.”

    communication Microsoft Microsoft Teams Skype VOIP
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    techgeekwire
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Crawford County, Pa. to Use AI to Review 911 Response Quality

    July 5, 2025

    The Rise of Small Language Models: Enhancing AI Efficiency and ROI

    July 5, 2025

    CMS Announces 6-Year Prior Authorization Program Pilot

    July 5, 2025

    Best Buy Sells Health Tech Startup Current Health

    July 5, 2025

    Modernizing Government through Technology and Institutional Design

    July 5, 2025

    Proposed ‘Frontier Valley’ Tech Zone Planned Near San Francisco

    July 5, 2025
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Top Reviews
    Editors Picks

    Crawford County, Pa. to Use AI to Review 911 Response Quality

    July 5, 2025

    The Rise of Small Language Models: Enhancing AI Efficiency and ROI

    July 5, 2025

    CMS Announces 6-Year Prior Authorization Program Pilot

    July 5, 2025

    Best Buy Sells Health Tech Startup Current Health

    July 5, 2025
    Advertisement
    Demo
    About Us
    About Us

    A rich source of news about the latest technologies in the world. Compiled in the most detailed and accurate manner in the fastest way globally. Please follow us to receive the earliest notification

    We're accepting new partnerships right now.

    Email Us: info@example.com
    Contact: +1-320-0123-451

    Our Picks

    Crawford County, Pa. to Use AI to Review 911 Response Quality

    July 5, 2025

    The Rise of Small Language Models: Enhancing AI Efficiency and ROI

    July 5, 2025

    CMS Announces 6-Year Prior Authorization Program Pilot

    July 5, 2025
    Categories
    • AI (2,700)
    • Amazon (1,056)
    • Corporation (991)
    • Crypto (1,132)
    • Digital Health Technology (1,082)
    • Event (526)
    • Microsoft (1,230)
    • New (9,584)
    • Startup (1,167)
    © 2025 TechGeekWire. Designed by TechGeekWire.
    • Home

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.