Microsoft to Shut Down Skype in May
At XDA, Rich Woods writes:
The writing has been on the wall for Skype for a long time, but every time you think it’s dead, Microsoft launches some big update. This time, however, that’s not happening, as Microsoft is finally retiring Skype in May. The solution? You guessed it — use Teams instead.
I won’t miss Skype. My last real use of the app was recording a Command Control Power podcast in 2023, but I recently started getting spam chats about cryptocurrency scams and whatever a “translated conversation” is. I considered deleting Skype from my iPhone but figured it was worth keeping around just in case. No longer.
Microsoft wants Skype users to transition to Microsoft Teams, but it remains unclear if Teams will fulfill all the functions for which people used Skype, such as calling landlines and cell phones from an app. If you’re still using Skype, how do you plan to replace it?
[Bringing this independent discussion into the comment thread. -Adam]
Numerous publications seem to say today that MS has decided to close Skype for good. As usual, many will have simply copied each others reporting. Either way, I haven’t used Skype anymore for years, how about you?
MS wants us to use MS Teams, which I think is one the most clunky systems I have come across for many years.
Your views please…
Skype’s horrible UI is only surpassed by the mess that is Teams. One of the best things about retirement (mine) is no longer having to use that Microsoft abomination.
The ‘original’ source:
https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-killing-skype/
Skype should be a lesson to software product managers everywhere. In its early days, it thoroughly owned the market for video chat and Internet telephony, especially for international users. It had a clear product vision, and the software was feature-rich yet usable by people who weren’t tech experts. Somewhere along the way (after Microsoft acquired it?), Skype started adding features and redesigning its interface in clumsy ways, and usage plummeted. It didn’t help that Microsoft muddied the waters by renaming its unrelated Microsoft Lync/Communicator product as “Skype for Business,” accomplishing little other than confusing people.
I’ve actually maintained a US$60/year Skype telephone number (including an unlimited calling plan) because I subscribed early enough to get a number that is very easy for people to remember, the voice mail service has a pleasant, posh English accent, and call quality has been excellent and rock solid. People have no idea I’m using Skype when I use that number. Assuming the story is true, it will be interesting to see if it migrates to Teams at a comparable cost. Maybe it is time to move on.
That reminds me of what’s going on with Zoom now. Skype worked well until after Microsoft bought it, and I finally lost access to it. Teams also is terrible; sometimes I can receive incoming but I can’t send outgoing. Maybe it’s because I won’s buy Office 365
We have used Skype for decades and still find it useful, regardless of its clunky interface. We live and travel internationally and it is often the only way we know of to call ordinary small businesses and actual humans on their actual telephones from abroad, as our mobile phone plans don’t include international calling.
We also have a MagicJack device and its annual subscription for the few occasions a year we need to call people ‘from’ a US number (or recieve calls) that used to be our landline. That service requires a small plastic box connected to the Mac or phone line while Skype can be used with an App.
We’d be fairly sad if Skype shut down. Not everyone we ever call internationally has the same App, or even an App at all. Hoping the reports are only rumors!
They’re not.
Ack!
Michael Tsai - Blog - Microsoft Shutting Down Skype
TIL that MagicJack still exists.
Feature creep, functionality dilution, and eventual shutdown are normal occurrences when Big Tech Company™ buys out Small Innovator™. The pattern happens so regularly that it’s almost axiomatic. It seems to be most consistent with Google, but it’s common with just about all of them. Apple is one of the few that consistently likes to integrate and retain features from products they’ve bought out, but even they aren’t innocent of this.
TIL? I don’t know that initialism…
Today I Learned. Normally used in conjunction with a fact that you either were extremely surprised to learn or feel like you should have already known (or both).
Sorry, I sometimes forget that some abbreviations aren’t well-known outside Reddit.
MagicJack no longer requires the dongle. They have an App for the iPhone that works independently. I’ve used it for years. It supports the same phone number.
The Microsoft blog post says:
I don’t think that’s ambiguous?
I guess the question of ambiguity depends on exactly what is meant by “After May 5, 2025, the Skype Dial Pad will be available to remaining paid users from the Skype web portal and within Teams.”
Separately from Skype, Microsoft does support phone services in the business edition of Teams. I’m not sure what options might exist for the personal edition, whether from Microsoft or via third parties.
Things not said are usually the stuff that’s being killed. If they were continuing it, I would imagine they would explain a transition.
Also, Dial Pad is outbound calls only?
I still use Skype to call international numbers (customer support lines and such) at reasonable rates. I’d love any recommendations for a replacement for this aspect of the product.
I use Google Voice for this too, but it’s not always as well suited to the task because of how it works. (Skype calls are routed over the internet on the caller’s side, whereas Google voice dials a phone number on the caller’s side, similar to using a calling card in the days of old. This is a pain when traveling, where I often have lots of data but limited voice minutes.)
Good point, @bhupesh. I looked at that when it came out many years ago and it reportedly had problems at the time, taking over the iphone’s own number and so on. Never looked at it again, and today we don’t need that functionality but maybe some do, so thanks for pointing it out!
Fun Skype facts…
Per Microsoft’s penchant for confusing product naming, Microsoft had two versions of Skype: Skype and Skype for Business. They had absolutely nothing in common save the name. Skype for Business was actually a re-named Lync. I still miss it; it was far better than the Teams that replaced it.
The original Skype (not Skype for Business) started out as a peer-to-peer system. This creates a problem for clients that are behind Network Address Translation (NAT), such as most home users. A client can reach out to the Internet, but unsolicited traffic can’t come in. So how do two users Skype each other, if they’re both hidden behind NAT?
The answer is that if you were not behind a NAT firewall or router, your “node” could be elected by the Skype system to be a “supernode”. Which meant that other people’s Skype traffic was routed through your computer, using up your bandwidth. And that’s why Skype was evil (just kidding, but not really).
I don’t like Teams. :(
I have a MS Office 365 subscription. It includes 60m/month of outbound calling to landline and/or cellular phone numbers. When travelling overseas, I’ve used that feature occasionally to make LD calls, and it’s been very handy to have. My domestic cellular provider charges an outrageous daily fee when roaming internationally.
As best I can tell from reading the MS help pages, this out-call capability will vanish when Skype shuts down. It seems that Teams does support outbound calling but only with a paid premium level of service. Can anyone here advise if Teams provides free outbound calling to pstn phone numbers? Or if MS will be grandfathering the 60m/month of calls (that they are still advertising as part of Microsoft/Office 365)?
I have a nice Boston Skype number that I use for a U.S. number even though I live in Japan. I just renewed it in February. I wonder what my options are to not lose the number. I do have other VoIP numbers though. But I’ve had this number for a long time. It’s set in all sorts of places.
The VoIP services I use are technically better than Skype, to be honest. You can set a voicemail greeting (Skype discontinued that years ago). Also short number verification from places like banks work. And I get unlimited texting in both directions with no added cost. in that sense, Skype is dated.
But I would prefer not to lose the number. Apparently we can port it somewhere. But where?
Apparently I have until next February to figure it out?
It is a bit confusing, but Microsoft will be continuing the 60 minute call service through March 2026 for subscribers who already have it, but after May 2025, you’ll have to use the Skype web portal or Teams Free to use it.
According to Microsoft’s “Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know” support article (scroll down to the “End of support for 60-minute Skype Calls in Microsoft 365 Subscriptions” section):
As for free PSTN calling alternatives, I don’t know of any that will work in the Teams environment, but it’s not something I’ve spent time looking into. It can be a lot of work to figure out Microsoft’s complicated offerings. There are a few paid Teams plans that might be worth looking into, but I’m not sure if they work with the Family/Personal subscriptions. After that, I guess switching to things like Google Voice (depending on where you are) would be the next thing to look into.
This will be a big deal, internationally. Those of us still using Skype do so primarily for international calls, both for business and personal communication. Skype developed into a one-stop-for-everything model, effectively squashing small competitors via MS. I’ve liked how this one app has been fairly functional and essential for use with dozens of countries we used to call “developing,” poor infrastructure. This is perhaps another indicator case where American (domestic) use is quite out of touch with how the rest of the planet does connect. Would have been nice to see some sort of “evolved” development in communications before now. You might ask yourselves, how does the rest of the world conduct video calls? Let alone chats/messaging? And “why don’t the common folk sound more like us?”
Skype was useful for calling freephone numbers in the US from the UK (1-800). Will Google voice or any other apps let me do this?
The free version of Talkatone is good for this, I’ve been using it for a few years. The interface on the free tier is a bit cluttered but for my very occasional use it is more than sufficient.
I also used it a few years ago when visiting the US to make some calls to local numbers (eg. phoning a shop to check if they had something in stock). That was also free and worked over mobile data which I had from a Three ‘roam like home’ PAYG plan, so allowed me to avoid expensive roaming charges.
@TBTdn Me too!
I use Skype several days each week to make calls around the world from Japan (home) or abroad (when I travel). I will now have to find an alternative for inexpensive (or even free when calling toll-free numbers) phone calls.
I’ll start looking… and share here. Hopefully amongst the TidBITS Talk members together we will find a good alternative.
Depending on where you’re calling, Talkatone might work for you.
Skype has unlimited free video call meetings. Teams has a 60 minute limit; Zoom has a 40 minute limit. For not-for-profit groups, including support groups (e.g., AA), Skype was really useful for this. Those groups will now have to deal with using the more-geeky Jitsi or raise money to rent a video call license.
@josehill
Thanks so much for the detailed reply, and pointer to the MS support article which I missed.
The MS ‘offer’ to use the Skype Dial Pad from the Skype web portal (beginning May 2025) really isn’t useful. When one is travelling out of the country with cellphone in hand, using a web portal to make phone calls instead of the Skype app is hardly a replacement. Nice job, Microsoft.
I looked very briefly at Teams. Oh my, it’s complicated, like most MS offerings. I’ve never used it, so I think I’ll pass on Teams. Google Voice is a non-starter, since I reside in Canada. I don’t have a US-based cellphone number, which appears to be a pre-requisite. I have a grandfathered (and free) GSuite account, but Google Voice can’t be added to it.
I think my alternative to the outcalling with Skype app that came with Office365 will be a VoIP account from voip.ms and a SIP softphone app (the Acrobits softphone app for iOS is not free, but fairly inexpensive). That enables worldwide PSTN calling over WiFi or cellular data, with rates that are pretty cheap. I believe calls to 1-800 & other toll-free numbers are free.
Teams is not a well-executed user interface. I use it almost daily for work, and it is a mess for users and for professional administrators, too. That said, the mobile Teams app might be viable while you look for the long term solution. I don’t know what the Skype dialer will look like in the mobile Teams app, but getting to the call interface on the mobile app isn’t quite as daunting as the desktop app. I find the mobile Teams app to be less clunky than the desktop app, though I still wouldn’t say it is “good.”
Thanks for the voip.ms/acrobits suggestion. It will be interesting to see the suggestions that the TidBITS community will no doubt make.
Multiple people have asked me which VoIP services I use, since both let me do things like receive texts from short numbers for bank verifications and so on.
One is Talkatone. I have the paid plan which also supports transcriptions of voice messages and allows for short-code verification from places like banks. The voice quality is also good.
And I also have TextNow which is an actual phone service. I got their SIM and activated it when I was in the U.S. It works fine for free for short-number verifications, and it also allows replying to those texts, which Talkatone does not. But there are more restrictions on setting it up as VoIP if you live outside the U.S. and Canada.
So to get started, if you live overseas, Talkatone might be easiest. However I don’t know if either will let you port in your Skype number.
I also tried experimenting with Google Voice just before and supposedly got my new Google Voice number verified via my TextNow number, but when I try to call that number I can’t get through. I think Google Voice is very awkward and complicated. Especially for someone like me who lives overseas and trying to get around their foreign limitations.
At the moment, I’m thinking of possibly simply forgetting about my Skype number and before it expires in about a year making sure I’ve updated my number everywhere to either my TextNow number or Talkatone number.
I am waiting to hear back from both of those VoIP service if they will allow me porting in my Skype number as an extra number. I doubt that will work though.
I won’t miss Skype either and one thing for sure: I will not use Teams to replace its functionality.
A. There’s a replacement to landlines. Who uses them anyway? Social apps like WhatsApp and Telegram (and FaceTime and others) offer excellent voice quality. Most businesses already offer social app calls as an alternative to their 1-800 numbers and those who don’t will sure do sooner than later.
B. Microsoft is trying to turn Teams into a monopoly. They are creating a siloed system. If I must use a siloed system it would rather be a free social app rather than one owned and operated by a company that had already tried to dominate the OS and office suite world by brute force.
So go ahead Micro$oft. Shut Skype down. You’re in for a big surprise if you’re expecting a surge in use of Teams as an alternative. I do have Teams installed on my device, for the purpose of joining conference calls organized by those who fell in the Teams trap. But my paid subscriptions to conference call apps and online office apps is not with Microsoft and is unlikely to be so.
Interesting to see all the hatred for Teams.
I’ve been using it at work for many years and think it’s a great work-collaboration app. But it is tightly integrated with the entire Microsoft ecosystem, including Outlook, SharePoint/OneDrive, Office apps, and many other relatively expensive services. Since my employer pretty much is a Microsoft shop and I use all these services anyway, integrating it all via Teams has never been a big deal.
But yes, if you’re trying to use it standalone, without all that integration, and without a corporate IT department to run the back-end, and all you want is to video-chat with individuals, it’s massive overkill and has a learning curve that should be unnecessary for such a situation.
As much as I hate Meta, I would say that for such simple individual-user situations, WhatsApp does seem to tick all the important boxes.
As for my personal preferences for a corporate collaboration tool, I’ve always liked Cisco’s WebEx. But it seems to be declining in popularity as corporations migrate to Microsoft, Google and Zoom’s solutions.
Yes, and I was speaking more generally because my sense is that people use Skype for a variety of different things that I can’t predict. The unlimited free video call option that someone mentioned below is another of those beyond how the Dial Pad will remain available.
I have been using Skype since before Microsoft bought it.
My small business went virtual with Covid and Skype is our preferred method of communications (mixed Mac - PC). We will miss it.
I have a few dollars for calls I occasionally make to land lines or cell phones internationally that I will find hard to relace. Teams is great wheh somebody invites you to a Teams meeting but nothing else
Lots of people for lots of reasons.
Like vinyl…
My former landline, the twisted copper pair, had been unbundled and is now used by my ISP to deliver the last mile VDSL2+ (35b) service to my home. Just because fiber is not yet at my curb.
What used to be a landline is now a soft-phone. I get to use that number even when I’m out of home as I have the VoIP app on my mobile, but hardly any calls come through this prehistoric number. Mostly spam and scam calls.
Time to move on.
I use Talkatone as one of my two non-Skype VoIP services. I wrote some details about it and others, including Skype, on my blog a few years ago with some later updates: Phone and Text VoIP (Voice over IP) apps – Doug Reports
I have a paid version of Talkatone (the $3.99/month subscription I think) which includes support for sort-number messages like bank and credit card authentication codes, and also voicemail transcriptions. You can’t send messages to a short number though.
I also use TextNow, which works better in some ways, but is difficult to setup if you live outside the U.S.
I would sort of like to not lose my Skype-in number which I’ve had for over a decade. But I can’t figure out where to port it to. I tried using Google Voice the other day and it’s way too complicated to juggle around if you live overseas. I may just end up dropping Skype. I just paid for my one-year number renewal last month though.
I have used Skype for over 20 years to make international calls to landlines. I am keen to learn if there is a good alternative out there.
Almost every app I have examined including WhatsApp is limited to calls to other app users. Clearly that is not acceptable for calls to landlines. Talkatone, which many have mentioned, is US only. Teams is overkill both functionally and cost especially when I only need the facility a few times a year.
It looks like I will have to revert to the POTS.
Another giant leap backwards for technology.
I do as it is my PRIMARY phone number. I only use my cell when I’m away from home, otherwise it sits on the nightstand.
I’ve been using Skype from well before Microsoft bought it, it is still my first choice for iPad to landline calls and still works well.
I use Skype to video chat with a friend in Canada. He is a PC user and has used Skype for a long time. That is my only use of it. We use it because it was his choice. We most likely will move to Google Meet.
Enjoy it while it lasts. You’re certainly the exception to the current norm.
For most people the cell phone has become the main means of communication for pretty much everything: social media, shopping, booking tickets, navigation, fitness, music, searching the web, managing bank accounts, stock markets, paying bills, identity management (2FA), video conferences, voice calls over social media apps. And yes, phone calls (thru the mobile number) too, though they represent a minor use compared to all others.
In fact - your mobile number is in many cases a more useful identification method than your social ID…
Most people have ditched their landlines. They bring no value as they only serve one purpose while a mobile serves dozens.
But anyway - use your landline as much as you like. It’s just that people won’t be able to call you using Skype going onwards. That’s the real topic here. Microsoft have identified the end of life of landlines and ditched Skype.
I have had numerous frustrations with Teams running under macOS. It works one week but not the next:
These days I have to paste the Teams URL link into MS Edge to join a conference - if I am lucky. Not a great look for business meetings.
With the demise of Skype and the changes to Zoom my regular chats with overseas relatives is going to become more daunting for everyone.
Like you, I have a Skype out number I’ve used for years as Iive part of the year in Japan. The thought of replacing it across all my contacts is daunting. So I’m considering MagicJack, and to protect my skype out number I might try numberbarn.com. It costs $2/month. I also realized the Ooma, a VOIP service I use for my home phone in the U.S, has a iPhone app that may be able to replace my Skype out number. I’m going to be checking out these options in the next few days.
I won’t miss the horrible user interface of Skype, but I will miss the ability to make low-price calls to mobiles and landlines overseas. Does anyone have any experience of using Rakuten Viber?
As well as free Viber to Viber calls and messaging, according to their website they offer a service called Viber Out for making international calls. It looks as if you can either buy a certain amount of minutes, or take out a monthly subscription for unlimited calls.
Talkatone works anywhere as far as I know and can call phone numbers in most/all of the world. Where did you see it listed as US only?
When I saw the 1 March email from Skype announcing this, it was one of those “oh shoot!” moments. Like others in this comment chain, I live overseas (Japan) and have been using Skype since well before MS intruded on the party. While it doesn’t offer full SMS capabilities, I can text with family, int’l calls are cheap, it provides a US number that people can use to call me, and it can handle authentication codes for some websites.
To have more reliability for authentication codes, I recently went ahead and got an eSIM mobile number with GoogleFi. It provides domestic cell phone service when I’m in the US, but it turns out that Google suspends an account if it’s used outside the US for more than 3 months. For this reason, I can’t use it as a replacement for Skype, and must be careful to turn it on only when needed for authentication codes. If I turn on my phone’s VPN to a US location and then turn on my GoogleFi number, maybe it will be fooled into thinking I’m in the US.
As for MS Teams as a replacement, I used Teams for a while when I did some part-time work for a university a few years ago. It was not a good experience: video meeting quality and site functionality were poor compared to Zoom, and the data storage functionality was unreliable. I’ll be interested to hear what it’s like today and if it will offer Skype’s functionality. I can tolerate something that’s clunky so long as it provides the same capabilities Skype offers now.
I will be following this closely, and will check out the other options people mention here, i.e. Talkatone, TextNow, MagicJack, Ooma, Viber.
This page says that you just need to find another provider and have them port your number over.
How do I port my Skype Number to another company? - Microsoft Support
I’ve been using Google Voice since it was invitation-only [/hunblebrag], us calls are free and international calls are pretty reasonable (Calling Rates); I call friends in Australia for $0.01/min.
If you use the Voice app (or third-part apps) on your iPad or Mac web browser, it does not relay your call to your cell, and US calls are absolutely free.
Texts are also free, work internationally, and with every bank and 2FA I’ve encountered.
You can port existing numbers in, and I’m pretty sure Federal law on ports says you should be able to port your Skype number. Of course you can also port out if you decide the service is not for you.
Combine Voice with an Ooma or ObiHai box, and you can use existing wiring of your house or business to continue using traditional corded telephones, and, bonus: it will transfer fax calls to your ancient machines.
Of course, if you install the app on your phone (iOS or Android), it acts as a voip, and rings your line. You can choose whether or not to have it forward to your cell, to your office number, your MIL’s landline, etc.
And if that really appeals to you, I want to plug an awesome iOS app (iPhone, iPad and Touch), called GV Connect (https://gvconnect.com/), which, amongst a hundred other awesome features, allows you to geofence your location-enabled device, such that calls only get forwarded to a given number based on your current location. I use this everyday; if I go to work, my GV number “follows me” there automatically; when I leave, it switches back to my iPhone (and iPad and Macs), until I reach another destination where I prefer a regular phone over my iPhone. (I’m disabled and I prefer to use a headset phone; I know, AirPods, Jabra, blah blah).
I once wrote an entire article for tidbits about this awesome app, but life got difficult and I never submitted it.
GV voicemail is bottomless, and transcripts are usually pretty good if the caller speaks reasonably clearly. I recently retrieved several voicemail from 2008.
Call quality is excellent, but does require a decent Internet connection to not get compressed into garble.
I could go on and on describing both service and app(s) features, but I think this is already lengthy.
HTH
Cheers
Yes. But easier said than done. I have not been able to find another provider for this yet.
The app website https://www.talkatone.com/ shows that calls etc. are US only. If this is incorrect then I will use the app.
My sister in law has severe MS and has only the use of one hand. She barely manages an iPhone but gets no cell service in her nursing home and has been relying on Skype to call friends, family and others over wifi for nearly ten years. Teams doesn’t sound like an option for her and this will be devastating.
Well, US and Canada. I hope and trust those will remain two different countries, dictators’ fever dreams notwithstanding.
Free phone calls and texts are only available to US and Canadian numbers. But you can add credit and call any country:
The full list of their calling rates is here:
I use Google Voice and call the UK regularly for, err, 1 cent per minute. I often have one hour calls with friends in the UK.
You can port any number to it. I have used it for years. Just a web interface on the Mac and not very elegant at all. You can chose to have incoming calls forward to any other number, set up call monitoring, blocking etc.
I did read the upcoming demise of Skype with dread however and wondered how long GV was going to last.
The number porting business is a federal mandate AFAIK, so they can’t take the number away from you and it’s easy, but these days…
With GV I call the UK and chat for an hour with one dear friend and it’s costs peanuts. You can also get GV numbers as if you lived in another country. I had a London number for a while which would call my US cell.
Good luck. L
I’ve been Skyping every morning for video chats with my brother and my 96-year-old mother. I’m not pleased to hear that it’s shutting down. While my mother isn’t cognitively capable of switching to another platform, her caregiver might be able to assist her. We’re all in different states, so it’s wonderful that we can visit each other daily.
Thank you, that is just what I need. I’ll give it a try.
I just received an email from Skype regarding the wind-down of its paid services. I want to highlight one bit of info from that email, since it was easy to miss in the support links already shared in this thread.
Even though currently paid Skype phone numbers for voice services will remain active through the end of their subscriptions, apparently Skype SMS services will be terminated as of May 5, 2025, regardless of subscription status.
What nobody so far has been able to say is if you can get your remaining Skype balance returned once the service ends (not transferred to some other service, but actually paid out via CC or ACH or check etc.).
Or how you would go about having that done.
The lack of instructions to the latter seems to indicate the answer to the former is likely “heck no, sucker!”.
I use Talkatone (am a paid subscriber) also and find it works well from Japan. But I would also like to not lose my Skype in number if possible. Talkatone support says they don’t import numbers.
Some people were saying that one thing I can do with my Skype in number, which I’ve had for years, is import it into voip.ms. I checked the voip.ms pricing and it looks very reasonable. The monthly fee for one number total less than I’ve been paying Skype to renew my number each year.
But… I just don’t get how to use it, even after a few chats with their sales support and looking at the wiki. Apparently I need to add a 3rd party app to make use of it on my iPhone and/or Mac because they don’t actually offer any software for the end users. Is that correct?
How does that work? And is the 3rd party app needed expensive so it actually ends up costing more than I’ve been paying Skype?
Thanks.
Another approach if you do a lot of international calls is to use international calling packages offered by landline phone services. I use one from Verizon. I have been paying $10 or $15 a month. I need international calling I write for a British-based magazine and also need to talk to people overseas. I don’t use it as much as I used to, but it’s still useful to have available and the sound quality usually is better than cells.
Just an update. As per suggestions on Reddit I’m trying to use voip.ms. It was educational learning about the service and how services like that are really separated from VoIP user apps and it’s like a backend used by VoIP apps that I never new about.
Before porting in my Skype number I thought I’d test with an $0.85 DID they provide. But right now I’m stuck on not being about to add funds to my new account. On the page where I want to pay by credit card there is a place to enter cardholder info but no place to enter my credit card info. So of course nothing gets processed.
After multiple support chats I tried an incognito window, a non-Chromium browser (Firefox), and a different device (my iPad instead of my Mac). But it was the same on all of them.
They opened a support ticket for me and I’m waiting to hear back.
What I thought I would do if the DID I purchase works is then try it with a free iPhone app. Then if that works try one of the recommended paid iPhone apps. And if that seems nice, then go ahead and try porting over my Skype number. If it works, it’s actually less expensive in the long run then paying Skype their annual fee for the number.
Oh they are saying it! There is no way to extract your Skype Credit and no way to use it. By my reckoning, that amounts to theft.
I used to use Skype occasionally to call overseas relatives, so had some credit. This was pay per call. One thing I did learn from this announcement is that pay per call was closed down some time ago, and you have to have a subscription to make calls to a phone number. Would have bern nice if they had told me this before it happened…,
There are several official MS FAQ answers here, but some are not particularly helpful:
Regarding Skype Credit…
“Skype Credits can be used for calling. Starting April 3, 2025, automatic top up services will no longer be available. After May 2025, the Skype Dial Pad will be available to remaining paid users from the Skype web portal and within Teams Free, where you will continue to be able to use your subscription or Skype Credits…”
If that makes sense!
My reading was that you cannot pay for individual calls any more. You have to have a subscription.
After spending days trying to get softphone apps to work with a voip.ms I decided it’s too grody and complicated and want something simpler. I also use TextNow and have ported a number into it. It works great. But I don’t want to give up the number I’m using with them. And I use Talkatone with a number I got from them. It also works fine. But they don’t allow porting in numbers.
I’d like to port my Skype number into a service like one of those two and not mess with SIP systems because I can’t get it to work.
Is there a full-fledged VoIP app that allows porting in numbers that can work on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac?
Thanks.
I finally got voip.ms to work with with the softphone app Linphone in both directions! But to receive calls Linphone needs to be open. I have to look at fallback settings and how voicemail, etc., works. But it does work! So I will continue.
I have a (UK) ‘landline number’ from Sipgate which I’ve used occasionally over the last several years. When setting it up I looked at Linphone as a client but chose SessionTalk Softphone instead. I can’t now remember why I decided against Linphone, but you might want to check out SessionTalk Softphone. As best as I can recall, it doesn’t need to be running to receive calls. I use this too rarely to be 100% certain (less than once a year) but it’s a free download so easy for you to try.
I might as well try it. But apparently that business about not being able to receive softphone calls unless the app is open is apparently due to a recent iOS restriction. But I’m not sure of the details.
I use Telephone on the Mac: Telephone | 64 Characters and have tried all sorts of voip apps on iOS/iPadOS… there are a bunch, with setup instructions, listed on the voip.ms wiki: https://wiki.voip.ms/article/Softphones. Make sure to use a subaccount for each device / app on your network. ie. one subaccount for your ipad, one for your mac, etc. That way they don’t conflict when calls come in.
Apparently the feature you are talking about is currently part of their paid app. The free app doesn’t seem to include that.
I did get Linphone to work though. If it’s not open I have it set to go directly to voicemail. And the voicemail gets emailed to me.
Better than nothing.
I still haven’t ported over my Skype number. I’ve been using a test number I bought from them. It’s a nice number actually, but I don’t need it. Maybe for the $0.85/month I’ll keep it as an extra U.S. backup number though.
The whole voip.ms system is quite complicated and grody looking. Oh, and there is no visual voicemail like with my iPhone and other VoIP apps. But it technically works.
I can’t seem to find an app with that name in the app store. Linphone is simplistic but is working. It seems you can set diferent DIDs with it. But I’m really only looking to port over my one Skype number which I rarely use anyway. Thanks.
Yay. I got voip.ms working with calls in and out, voicemail, and also SMS/MMS. I’ve been using a test number I bought from them for $0.85 and it works great. I’m also using the Groundwire app which is very useful for enabling push notifications and not draining your battery. I will now proceed to port my Skype number it. It will be less expensive than Skype’s annual number renewal fee.
@doug2, I really appreciate your updates on this, hoping to hear soon that you found a solution.
Addition: I’ve also done a bit of research on alternatives, including Nextiva, MagicJack, Rakuten Viber, and Twilio. However, many of them are seeking business users, not personal users, so I’m reluctant to pursue anything unless there are no other options.
Thanks for your message. I’m a little bit confused about whether to keep my Skype number in my main account or create a sub-account for it. People on Reddit are recommending a sub-account though. That way it can be registered separately in the Groundwire softphone app I am using.
Anyway, I just started the Skype porting process. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Notes about porting into voip.ms:
It looks like the porting of my Skype number is proceeding well. I just got this notice from voip.ms along with additional info about going ahead and setting it up in my dashboard:
FOC Date: 2025-03-20 (yyyy-mm-dd)
Description: Your port will likely complete on this date. Firm Order Confirmation (FOC) is the finalized date for your number to be transferred. The carrier that is releasing the number issues this date. We will email you again regarding the completion of your number.
Here’s my referral link in case anybody else wants to move their Skype number to voip.ms. Using this link we both get some credits.
And… my Skype number successfully ported! SMS will take another 24-48 hrs to be provisioned, but calls in and out, and voicemail (received by email) is working just fine.
The call rate for incoming calls is $0.009 per minute and for outgoing calls $0.01 per minute. They do it in fractions of a minute, so, for example, you can see for an 18 second outgoing call I made the cost was just $0.003.
Since the porting in is free, and the maintenance cost of the number is just $0.85/month, it is actually less expensive to maintain my Skype number this way (for my use case) than the Skype in subscription cost of $30/year.
Of course if you spend hours on the phone each day your costs will vary.
If you want to port in your Skype number though so as not to lose it, this seems like a nice solution. While the voip.ms settings are not for the fainthearted, they do have 24 hour live chat support that has been very helpful.
You have a choice of softphone apps to use. I am using Groundwire, which many people recommended, and which has just a one-time $9.99 cost. There are free softphone apps as well.
Belated thanks, @jzw. I start to investigate options, including your suggested Talkatome, and share results here if I find anything not already reported (this is a highly active and helpful forum so it’s unlikely I’ll find anything new!)
Greetings all! I won’t get into the “better-worse” discussion, as I’m not that smart. But I do have a challenge that I’d appreciate some assistance.
I have been using Teams for work; my company email is my username. So far, so good. When the “updated Skype” was pushed to my iPhone, all of a sudden, both my Skype and Teams apps showed my personal messages from Skype mixed in with my business Teams messages. Earlier this week, I tried to log into my Teams account on my iPhone with my company email address, and I got all sorts of warnings (“multiple attempts to log in… account suspended…”). My iPhone Teams is now toast until I find a solution.
I’ve looked and haven’t found any guidance, so I’m probably overlooking something obvious. Any advice would be most appreciated.
Cheers!
Herb
I have had similar frustrations with Teams, without a clear solution:
Teams should allow you to be signed into multiple accounts and to switch between them on the fly. You can add/switch accounts on an iPhone by pressing on the profile icon in the upper left corner of the Teams app.
A specific solution depends on exactly how your business Teams account is set up. If your business has an IT support desk, I strongly recommend contacting them. If you are the IT support desk, and your business teams account is set up using one of the business versions of Microsoft 365 or a paid Teams business subscription, you probably need to go to the admin portal on the web and unlock the Teams account and perhaps remove and then re-associate the iPhone with your business Microsoft account. You also can contact Microsoft tech support if you own the business account. They’re usually pretty good, but they can be slow getting back to support requests from small operations.
I wish I could give you a simpler, more direct solution, but Teams is complex enough that it can be difficult, especially given the wide range of deployment options for businesses.
I just wanted to mention that I did successfully port my Skype number into VoIP.ms and am using that number (plus a nice St. Louis number I got from them) in the Groundwire softphone app.
Phone calls out and in work. As do messages. And voicemail recordings are sent to be automatically via email.
It’s a reasonable alternative. Number porting is free. And maintaining the number is just $0.85/month. VoIP.ms is not for the faint-hearted, but they do have helpful 24 hour chat support and they can help step you through the huge number of settings.
If anybody wants more details, let me know.
Here are the details of what I did to keep my Skype number (and info if you just need a U.S. number and don’t necessarily want to port a Skype number)…
Interestingly, I requested a copy of my file and chat history from Skype. They provided the download as a .tar file. Seems an odd choice for Microsoft, honestly. Unless Windows can handle .tar files natively?
Windows 11 natively supports tar files, both graphically and on the Windows command-line.
Early versions of Windows 10 didn’t include tar support, but support for the tar command-line was added in 2018. If you try to open/extract a tar file using the graphical interface on a Win10 system, the system will ask if you want to search for a suitable utility in the MS App Store if you don’t have one already installed.
That’s cool - I didn’t realize that MS had finally added .tar as a supported format. I didn’t get .tar files very often when I was working primarily in Windows, so I never really investigated.