Microsoft retires Skype, internet call pioneer

I'll miss Skype.

Are there any other means of making international phone calls similar to Skype, that is not using your mobile plan?

Are there any other means of making international phone calls similar to Skype, that is not using your mobile plan?

Lots of voice apps exist - you can use wifi on your phone, tablet or any ethernet connected computer. Connecting to the phone network requires paying for that connection, but if you just want to voice/video chat between a few people, you can use meet.jit.si or nextcloud-talk or any WebRTC client and server. There's also Matrix servers which handle encrypted real-time communications. Just sign up for a free Matrix account and use any Matrix client on any platform you like. https://matrix.org/docs/communities/getting-started/

Element is the normal first client that people use. It supports end-to-end encrypted communications for everything - text, voice, videos.

A typical client provides a simple chatroom interface to Matrix - letting the user interact with users and rooms anywhere within the Matrix federation. Text and image messages are supported, as well as voice and video calling via WebRTC in one-to-one rooms and via Jitsi elsewhere.

Of course, you can also use SIP VoIP connections, if you like. That uses internet connections between the peers, which isn't exactly elegant. For an elegant, easy to use solution, having a cheap VoIP service that connects you to the regular telephone networks is easiest.

Many Matrix servers don't require even an email address to get a free account. You are always free to use any Matrix client you like on any platform you like.

If this seems too hard, perhaps I'm doing a poor job explaining it. For my family, we use nextcloud-talk. For my hobbies, we meet weekly using free meet.jit.si rooms and our web browsers. To call other people on phones, I have a cheap VoIP service provider for the house. Or regular phones connect to it, as do all our Android devices.

Are there any other means of making international phone calls similar to Skype

i switched to rakuten viber and loaded $5 into it, seems to work quite well as a substitute

I have used Skype since 2003. I never liked the interface. Make several family Skype calls every week. I use FaceTime for those with iPhones. Otherwise, WhatsApp works well and a better interface. Microsoft has Team, but it looks like Zoom calls.

I relied on Skype to call my bank's automated service. Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet and make an international call after May...

That's a bark.

I use skype. as well as the google chat thingy, microsoft "teams" will be center stage product, I think will move to subscription.

I still have some Skype credit in my account. I wonder if I’ll get a refund

Skype was a great idea and it's still relevant today. Why they are ending it rather than improve it is unimaginable.

I stopped using Skype in 2006, there were just so many better apps, they were good at one point, but there are others that came on the scene that will blow Skype out of the water. I love Zoom, just for me works better overall. I won't miss Skype, it had its good long run.

Within Japan, we use Line, it works very well.

What's the alternatives to Skype for calling landlines around the world? I find it very useful for only that purpose and will need a substitute.

Upon reading the news I wanted to cancel my unused Skulype account. Impossible. You have to cancel your entire Microsoft account. Tempting but unpractical.

all these online providers make it nearly impossible to cancel the accounts as their revenue decides on the number of accounts. Governments look the other way.

Sad to see Skype being discontinued as it was the first of its kind and gave people a chance to talk to their loved ones free of charge. I remember the good old days with Slype! It

I’m going to miss Skype. It didn’t exist when I first arrived in Japan. I can remember my roommate setting up a webcam on his PC to use the app back in 2004. I’ve been using it for video calls with my parents for years. I like that free tier had no time restrictions, unlike Google Meets or Zoom. Time to look for an alternative…

Skype used to be good, but MS screwed it up. As they screwed up Word, Wunderlist and many others.

What's the alternatives to Skype for calling landlines around the world? I find it very useful for only that purpose and will need a substitute.

I have the same question and came across this reddit post earlier today. A few alternative are listed.

https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/1j0lkvc/skype_ending_need_alternative_to_skype_for/

Why don't they sell it? I am sure some tech company would purchase it and make it much better.

Are there any other means of making international phone calls similar to Skype, that is not using your mobile plan?

I know you cant call landlines on it, but for me Whatsapp is still just good enough, even though Meta is trying its best to enshittify it, similar to how MS enshittified Skype and ran it into the ground. Like most software these conglomerates aquire.

Skype Out to landlines was useful and simple to set up. If you got a Skype number you could do it at local rates and get incoming calls to what looks like a local number. I use this if I need two step authentication in that country.

Other stuff may be better on Zoom or whatever, but calling landlines was simple on Skype. Lots of elderly folks out there use landlines and nothing else. They may have a mobile but don't carry it most of the time. Calling them on Zoom or Whatsapp is not an option.

The easiest solution would be for Microsoft to make the (paid for) Teams phone option do what Skype Out did. Its not very clear whether it does or not.

WE use Whats App, for text, piccies. Not for any commercial stuffs (no trust in ****) W.Apps good for texting etc. just link it to lap-top. better then e-mail?? I am pretty certain that whatever you use on laptop you pay for anyway, we all have unlimited agreements. no stress! :)

For important events, Y'day N'Y etc. especially with rather aging mum I just bite the bullet and use direct dial. she sees the, incoming and answers with a smile in her voice. Sometimes scrimping and saving destroys the intent of the call?

Thats a shame, have lots of fond memories thanks to Skype.