Skype to finally be shuttered in May, 22 years after its August 2003 launch: Updated

Update 2/28 06:51 PT

Its official, Microsoft are shuttering Skype. You've got until May 5 to migrate your chats and contacts over to Microsoft Teams.

Original Article:

Yesterday, a hidden string was discovered in the code for the latest Skype for Windows 11 preview that states "Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.", precluding the imminent retiring of 22 year-old messenger Skype — this information being discovered over at XDA Developers. Since Microsoft Teams is already built over the Skype infrastructure that Microsoft first bought back in 2011, this should be a seamless transition in the long run— but it still marks the death of a classic staple in online messaging platforms.

Skype has its origins back in August of 2003, and in the 22 years since its launch, it has seen a myriad of ports, official and unofficial, to countless devices and operating systems. Skype has appeared on Nokia's Symbian phones, Sony's PlayStation Portable and even HoloLens!

To the say the least, the final death of Skype marks a key turning point in the history of online messengers. The recent pandemic proved that services including Skype were essential during such a dark time. One could argue that the end of Skype is moot, as it continues to exist in a different form through Microsoft Teams.

Once upon a time, Skype was regarded as one of the best messaging apps out there— but its reputation began to sour when it received in-app advertisements in September 2011, after the Microsoft acquisition. While Microsoft would phase out its other communication apps to make Skype a focus, the unwanted addition of advertisements and waves of spam bot slowly but steadily pushed Skype out of the limelight.

As sad as it is to give a post mortem on Skype, we think it's fair to say that this application has long served its purpose in the grand scheme of things. Remote workers have Teams and other messaging applications to make the most of video conferencing and productivity-centered communications. Gamers now have the free-but-intensive Discord, alongside the always-reliable lightweight VoIP clients like Mumble and Teamspeak, to rely on instead of Skype.

Skype and its era of competing messengers including MSN Messenger finally seems to be over. As the industry moves past Skype in the coming months, it will become a footnote in the ongoing history of computing.