Microsoft to retire Skype after 20 years

American technology and software giant, Microsoft, has announced its decision to retire Skype, a well-known platform that revolutionized cross-border communication through the internet after 20 years of operation.

The company said in a statement it would now concentrate on its in-house Teams service by streamlining its communication capabilities, while Skype would shut down for good in May.

“To streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub,” said Microsoft in a statement.

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“Moving forward, we will no longer offer paid Skype features to new customers, including Skype Credit and subscriptions that allow you to make and receive international and domestic calls.”

Microsoft pushed for Teams, which has experienced tremendous growth, while Skype’s numbers declined to 36 million daily users in 2023 despite its previous success, which peaked at 300 million users.

Teams Free will provide certain services that Skype does not, but it will not allow phone calls, which reflects shifting consumer preferences as more people turn to mobile data plans rather than traditional landlines.

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