Microsoft is shutting down its voice and video-conferencing product Skype in May as it focuses on the more popular Teams offering.

Skype, which launched in 2003, was once one of the world’s most popular websites and allowed people to make voice calls via their computers to friends and family all over the globe for free.

It was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5bn – at the time, its largest acquisition – but has struggled to keep up with rising competition in recent decades.

“Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” the company said.

Users will be able to sign into the free version of Microsoft Teams with their Skype account, where they will still be able to access their call history, contacts, group chats and other data.

Zoom, Slack (owned by Salesforce) and Microsoft’s own Teams product, which all feature voice and video-conferencing capabilities, all experienced surges in demand from businesses from the outset of the pandemic, while consumer-facing solutions like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have been drawing users away from Skype for years.

Some have likened the demise of Skype to the fall of Blackberry and the once-ubiquitous Nokia phone devices, but there is general acceptance that technology has moved on.

Kate Allen, owner of holiday lettings firm Finest Stays, said: “Skype shutting down feels like saying goodbye to an old Nokia 3310. Once indestructible, now obsolete.

“For those of us who hit our 20s in the 2000s, it was the cutting-edge way to keep in touch, a digital lifeline before smartphones took over. Skype is just another relic in the ever-upgrading archive of our digital lives. So long, snake, and so long, Skype.”

In a blog post Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s president of collaborative apps and platforms, said: “Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications. We also understand that change can be challenging.

“We’re excited about the new opportunities that Teams brings and are committed to helping you stay connected in new and meaningful ways.”