hopefully next is Teams. Microsoft gave up building browser engine and for everyone's sanity they shall also try to stop building chat applications. Arguably Slack has its issues, but it's a world apart in terms of usability, UX, UI, etc.
Microsoft is killing Skype
301–310 of 682 posts
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#302How will I check if my mic is working now?
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#303Skype is the epitome of technical debt. Millions of lines of code for a service that isn't technically difficult to provide anymore. When I was at Microsoft, I was told working on Skype was about as popular as being sent to a gulag. The value of the brand is so strong, I am surprised they never launched a "2.0" version built from scratch and without all the vestigial tails.
> The value of the brand is so strong, I am surprised they never launched a "2.0" version
I am not.
The brand is strong in a negative way, I have never met anyone who ever liked Skype.
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#304[dead]
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#305Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was using Google Voice for a while, which is nice because it is free and never had any issues receiving SMS. A US phone number is required to activate, so I used a US relative's phone number to activate and then just disabled all the forwarding features so calls and SMS would never be forwarded to that number. Unfortunately, I went so long without actually using it that they took my number away (my fault because th…
I've been using Gvoice pretty much since it started. I'm just as surprised as you that Google hasnt killed it. The writing has seemed to be on the wall a few times but it's still around, thankfully. When they semi-killed hangouts a couple years ago I thought for sure Gvoice was gone.
I've used Google Voice as my primary number since 2010, and started using it before Google even owned it (i.e., when it was Grandcentral).
Development seems to have (relatively) picked up recently. There was a period of about five years when I don't think there were any publicly announced developments. Now we'll get maybe one a year or so.
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#306Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've been using Gvoice pretty much since it started. I'm just as surprised as you that Google hasnt killed it. The writing has seemed to be on the wall a few times but it's still around, thankfully. When they semi-killed hangouts a couple years ago I thought for sure Gvoice was gone.
Google Voice is weird. It seemed like they should've killed it, but they just added a few minor features this week.
It felt like it was slowly withering until they rolled it into their business communications suite a few years ago. Now it is pretty much a proper part of Workspace.
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#307Are there any reliable alternatives for international landline/mobile calls?
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#308Anyone knows of an alternative to Skype to make free calls to 1-800 numbers? I was keeping Skype in my back pocket during trips abroad for that exact reason (allowed me to get away with using data only eSIMs and still be able to call bank/airline if something happens).
Another option you could look into is a mobile VoIP app like Acrobits Softphone or Groundwire with a VoIP SIP provider like voip.ms. The apps are a one-time purchase (~$6.99-9.99 last time I checked). Toll-free calls are free and the airtime from voip.ms is incredibly cheap (local calls start at $0.01/min).
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#309Skype is the epitome of technical debt. Millions of lines of code for a service that isn't technically difficult to provide anymore. When I was at Microsoft, I was told working on Skype was about as popular as being sent to a gulag. The value of the brand is so strong, I am surprised they never launched a "2.0" version built from scratch and without all the vestigial tails.
> The value of the brand is so strong, I am surprised they never launched a "2.0" version I am not. The brand is strong in a negative way, I have never met anyone who ever liked Skype.
Then my guess is you're not old enough to have used it much when it first came out. Because at that time, it wasn't really competing with other internet calling services, it was competing with international phone rates that were dollars a minute. In some cases it actually made long distance relationships viable that otherwise weren't.
Re: Microsoft is killing Skype
#310Microsoft have not sent me an email about this. I still have $120 credit on Skype and a Skype-In number. Curious if they will give the credit back to me.
[Edit] My question was answered here [1].
[1] - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/02/2...