Do you want to ditch Microsoft Teams? Skype is still around and just made a major change
- Microsoft wants to sell you a subscription to use Skype
- You can no longer purchase Skype credit to make calls
- Custom phone numbers have been discontinued, no replacement
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Microsoft Teams completely replaced Skype when it launched in 2017, but its predecessor in video conferencing is still going strong and has jumped on the subscription train.
In a big change for the platform, Microsoft has quietly removed two of its key premium features: Skype Credit and custom phone numbers.
Instead, Microsoft is pushing Skype customers into calling plans, ending the flexibility that one-time credits previously offered and potentially costing more for infrequent users.
Skype is going on a subscription basis
The change was first noticed by a moderator on Microsoft’s Skype forums, who stated: “Skype has stopped purchasing Skype Credit for all users. The only option available now is monthly calling plans.”
Microsoft later confirmed the changes in an email TechCrunchand adds: “continually evaluate product strategy based on usage and customer needs.”
Anyone with credit already applied to their account can continue to use it, as long as they use it once every six months to keep it active. However, new purchases for credit are no longer possible.
Calls to landlines and mobiles now require a subscription, and Skype-to-Skype calls remain free and unaffected. However, users of Skype’s virtual phone numbers for international calls or outgoing text messages are the most affected, as Microsoft has not confirmed a direct replacement.
In the years since its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype in 2011, Microsoft has slowly deprioritized the platform and largely replaced it with Teams. The company no longer shares its user base in earnings reports, but increased competition from the likes of Zoom and Cisco has put pressure on Skype in a post-pandemic world where videoconferencing remains a staple of hybrid working.
Meanwhile, Skype’s interface still suggests users can purchase credits, leading to payment failures. Microsoft acknowledged inconsistencies in its reporting and promised to update it accordingly.