Today, May 5, 2025, the popular messaging app Skype, which operated for over 20 years, has officially ceased operations.
This was announced by Jeff Teper, President of the Applications and Platforms for Collaboration at Microsoft, in an interview with CNBC.
Skype has officially shut down today
Teper explained that the company decided to focus on developing its newer platform, Teams, which already incorporates most of Skype's features.
“We learned a lot from Skype, but it's time to move forward,” Teper noted in the CNBC interview.
Microsoft has encouraged Skype users to transition to Teams. Users can log into Teams using their Skype credentials, and their contacts and chat history will automatically transfer to the new system.
Additionally, any funds in users' Skype accounts can be used in Teams. The sale of Skype subscriptions was halted earlier, and user data from the messaging app is available for export.
Skype: A Look Back at the Messaging App's Popularity
Skype was a platform that enabled users worldwide to communicate. Millions of individuals and businesses used Skype for free video and voice calls, instant messaging, and file sharing.
The service was accessible on various devices - mobile phones, computers, and tablets, ensuring convenience for users anywhere.
Microsoft Teams: The Next Generation of Communication
In light of today's official closure of Skype, Microsoft is actively promoting its communication platform, Microsoft Teams, as the main alternative and successor.
Microsoft Teams is a comprehensive communication platform designed by Microsoft. It offers video chat, text chat, file sharing, and other communication features. Teams is available for download and use on Windows, Mac, as well as on mobile devices running iOS and Android.
A significant advantage of Teams is its integration with other applications through Microsoft AppSource, allowing the use of third-party apps.
The collaborative features of Teams are designed not only for remote use but can also be applied during in-person meetings, allowing students to have continuous access to the same tasks and resources regardless of their location.
Teachers can utilize Microsoft Teams to create a virtual “class team,” where they can hold online meetings with students, teach lessons, organize class activities, post assignments, create quizzes, assess student work, and provide feedback.
