(NEXSTAR) – After a 21-year run, the once widely-used video chat app Skype is now officially a memory, as of May 5.
“Rest in peace, Skype,” one person wrote on X. “You served us well.”
“Listen to that iconic Skype ringer one last time,” another urged, adding a clip of the bubbly, slick tone .
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Microsoft-owned Skype has been credited with making video calls easy and affordable for millions of people.
"Skype has played a crucial role in molding contemporary communication methods and facilitating numerous significant experiences, and we feel privileged to have been a part of this adventure," stated Jeff Teper, who serves as the president of collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft, in a press release.
Teper mentioned that the choice to discontinue Skype is part of Microsoft’s effort to "simplify our range of free consumer communication services, enabling us to better adjust to customers' requirements."
What occurs next for Skype users?
Users of Skype will not be able to access their accounts anymore; however, they can utilize the same login details to sign into Microsoft Teams Free on any compatible device.
According to Microsoft, upon signing up, one’s contacts and chat history will be automatically moved, and the user will receive a notification within the Skype application "urging them to initiate the migration of their data."
Microsoft notes that the following data doesn’t migrate to Teams Free:
- Conversations between Skype users and Teams work or school accounts won’t be transferred. Individuals can utilize Teams Free to initiate new chats with Team’s work or school account holders and take advantage of additional features.
- Skype to Skype for Business chat history will not be migrated.
- 1:1 chats with self-history will not be transferred.
- Data from private conversations will not be transferred.
- The content from Copilot and bots won’t be supported within theTeams Free version, and there will be no availability of chat history.
For devoted Skype users who have no interest in switching to Teams, they can also choose to continue using Skype. export one’s Skype data .
Any individual who does not take any action and doesn’t sign into Teams before January 2026 risks losing their information.
Microsoft acquired Skype In 2011 for $8.5 billion.
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