Microsoft has announced that Skype, once a widely used video-calling platform with hundreds of millions of users, will officially shut down in May.

Skype, which gained immense popularity for enabling people to make free voice and video calls from their computers, was a key player in transforming online communication. While it was not the pioneer of internet-based calling, the platform played a major role in popularizing free computer-to-computer calls worldwide.

In a recent announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Skype informed users that they could continue communicating by logging into Microsoft Teams using their existing Skype credentials. This move ensures that users retain access to their chats and contacts. However, Microsoft has yet to provide an official response to inquiries regarding the decision, including one from BBC News.

Skype was initially launched in 2003 and was later acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion (£6.1 billion), making it the company’s largest acquisition at that time. Following the acquisition, Microsoft integrated Skype into several of its products, including Xbox and Windows operating systems, aiming to make it a seamless communication tool across different platforms.

The platform’s influence was evident when, in December 2010, Om Malik, a well-known tech industry analyst, described Skype as one of the “key applications of the modern web.” His comment came during a significant global outage that lasted for two days, highlighting Skype’s importance in digital communication.