Microsoft is to shut down its free messaging platform Skype to focus on Teams, the tech giant confirmed on Friday.
It plans to phase out the messaging platform in the coming weeks, with access to the service remaining until May 5th.
Users can move to the free version of Teams using their Skype credentials while retaining their contacts and chats.
Microsoft said it would have a transition period where users of Teams and Skype would be able to communicate cross-platform.
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Those who do not want to move to Teams can export their Skype data – chats, call history and contacts – before May 5th.
In a blog post from Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 Collaborative Apps and Platforms, the company said it was trying to streamline its free consumer communications products.
“The way we communicate has evolved significantly over the years. From instant messaging to video calls, technology has continuously transformed how we connect with each other,” he said.
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“In order 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.”
As part of the changes, the company will no longer offer paid Skype features to new customers, including Skype Credit and subscriptions for making and receiving international and domestic calls.
Microsoft said those who are currently paying customers will be able to use their credit and subscriptions until the next renewal period rolls around.
The decision marks the end of more than two decades of the service. Released in August 2003, Skype was created by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, alongside a team of four Estonian developers. It was acquired first by eBay in 2005, before the auction site sold a chunk of its stake to investors such as Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Microsoft acquired it for $8.5 billion in 2011, as a replacement for Windows Live Messenger.
