Microsoft has announced that it will officially shut down Skype on May 5th of this year. The iconic communication platform, which dominated video calling and messaging since its launch in 2003, will no longer be supported as Microsoft shifts its focus to its enterprise solution, Microsoft Teams.

In October 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, the tech giant’s biggest acquisition at the time. However, over the next decade, competition from Apple’s FaceTime and Meta’s WhatsApp impacted Skype’s user numbers. Skype’s closure follows years of declining usage in favor of more integrated communication tools.

Although Skype saw a brief surge in popularity during the pandemic, its usage has waned in recent years as competing platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet gained more traction. This shift marks a natural next step, Microsoft has concentrated its efforts on Teams, which offers similar core features to Skype.

“We look forward to continuing to support people’s everyday connections, starting by making it easy to log into Teams with their Skype account,” said Jeff Teper, President of Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms, in a blog post. “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.”

Current Skype users are advised to move their contacts and data to Microsoft Teams or explore alternative services. For users who pay for some of Skype’s features, Microsoft said they will be able to continue using the service until their next renewal period. As the tech world bids farewell to Skype, many are reflecting on the platform’s pivotal role in shaping the way we communicate globally over the past two decades.