Bad news for those still using Skype. The Microsoft-owned phone and messaging platform has quietly stopped users from adding credit to their accounts or purchasing Skype phone numbers. Instead, Skype is locked into SaaS mode. It forces users to subscribe to regional and global Skype to Phone plans for a set monthly fee, potentially affecting millions of people. The latest Skype numbers released by Microsoft last year said it had 36 million daily active users.
Microsoft has not officially announced this change. News of this change was first discovered last week in the form of a response from a volunteer moderator on a Microsoft forum to a user who was unable to add credit to their Skype account.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the company has permanently stopped new sales of Skype Credit and Skype Numbers, adding that it “continues to evaluate our product strategy based on customer usage and needs.” Ta. Your existing Skype phone number will continue to work, and you can continue to use your existing Skype Credit. Subject to the usual provisions, a user must use a credit at least once within 180 days for it to be valid.
Skype Credit Image Credit: Screenshot / TechCrunch
pioneer
Skype has been one of the pioneers of Internet calling and messaging services for many years. Founded in Europe (particularly Luxembourg) in 2003, it was one of the first large-scale and disruptive consumer VoIP services, allowing users to bypass traditional telephone lines (and the associated long-distance costs) and You could now make free internet-based voice calls. ). Support for instant messaging, video, and file sharing was later added. This is a game-changing service for all messaging apps.
The company has also favored various owners over the years. The e-commerce platform had big ambitions to spread its wings when it was acquired by eBay for $4.1 billion in 2005, but that plan didn't pan out and four years later eBay valued Skype at $2.75 billion. It was sold to a private consortium. Skype then filed for IPO in 2010 with 560 million registered users and 124 million monthly active users, with only 6% paying for premium services. has become clear. Microsoft swooped in and bought Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011, and Skype has been under its ownership ever since.
The service has always maintained that Skype-to-Skype communications have been completely free, and instead made money by charging users who wanted to make calls to mobile or landline numbers. One of the other paid services allowed users to purchase a local phone number so they could make and receive calls as if they were in a particular country. Skype also monetizes through separate products for business customers.
But the world has moved on from Skype, with the likes of WhatsApp and Zoom filling the void for messaging, video calling, and more. Ironically, Microsoft itself was one of the companies competing to launch Teams in 2016. As part of the integration drive, Teams ended up consuming the Skype for Business product. So Skype, a peripheral product in Microsoft's larger ambitions as a cloud infrastructure giant, has been in a bit of decline for some time.
It's been a long time since Microsoft officially announced the availability of Skype. Maybe it's because Microsoft hasn't made an effort to promote it, and maybe its numbers don't tell a very positive story.
But in March 2020, Microsoft revealed that Skype's user numbers had soared to 40 million daily as people looked for ways to stay in touch with loved ones during lockdown. The company said this represents a 70 per cent increase from the previous month and suggests a typical day's activity of around 23.5 million people, but how many of them are using Skype to Skype? No details have been disclosed regarding the matter. In a subsequent statement sent to TechCrunch at the time, the company added that it has 100 million monthly users.
The number of active Skype users is currently unknown, and a Microsoft spokesperson said no updates will be provided. But in a blog post last year announcing that the Bing search engine was coming to Skype, the company said, “More than 36 million people use Skype every day to connect across borders and around the world through calls and chats. ” he said.
That means the changes that went into effect last week could impact tens of millions of people who used Skype, especially for its phone functionality, a feature that modern messaging apps like WhatsApp don't have. Zoom offers a product called Phone, which is more targeted at the business market).
Confusingly, Skype still advertises both Skype Credit and Skype Numbers in various places on its online properties. Additionally, if you log in via the web, Skype will still prompt you to purchase credits, but will not allow you to complete the transaction.
“The sale of new Skype numbers and Skype Credit has been permanently suspended,” the spokesperson said. “For some customers, the interface to purchase new Skype Credit may still appear at certain entry points, although the payment will not be made. We are aware of this issue and will We are working on making updates.”