The Skype app will no longer be available on several platforms starting July 1, 2017. The platforms include Windows Phone 8 and 8.1, RT, TV and the Windows 10 Mobile messaging app. The Skype app for Windows 10 Mobile stays, but the integration with the messaging app is going away.
At worst, this is going to inconvenience a lot of people currently on these operating system versions. Unfortunately, it seems to be the only way to go. WP8 and 8.1 are all but obsolete, RT is right there alongside it, and not many people on Windows 10 Mobile even knew why it was there in the first place.
Fortunately, the Skype app will remain on Windows 10 Mobile, which, at last count, had anywhere between 7 million and 10 million users.
While that’s not necessarily good news for Windows 10 Mobile, it does show Microsoft’s willingness to keep the platform going until it dies a natural death, which it inevitably will.
With Windows 10 on ARM coming to mobile devices later this year, Microsoft is already phasing out OS upgrade support for Windows 10 Mobile, keeping updates coming as drips and dribbles, as opposed to gushing PC builds chock-full of new features.
Now that the new Skype has been launched with its many social elements, there’s no reason for Microsoft to keep the old one on unsupported platforms.
All-New Skype is Exactly What Facebook Should Have Done with WhatsApp
Skype for Business is obviously going to be around for a long time, but for personal users the video calling app is turning into a social media one more than anything else. Maybe this divergence is exactly what Skype needs at this point.
WhatsApp, anyone?
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