There Can Be Only One! Who Wants To Skype Forever?

Teams WILL Become The Messaging Hub For All Your Personal Chats …

You have no choice, resistance is futile!  Microsoft is today making it even more obvious that Skype is on it’s last legs today, by uniting the two apps behind the scenes.  There are still separate versions for now, one on the Microsoft Store and the version you can download directly from Skype.com and they even have separate versions, Skype 15 and Skype for Windows 8.61.  Upon closer inspection it is revealed that the UWP Skype 15 has been modified to more closely match the stand alone app; which many would consider the lesser of the two evils.

That means that the UWP version is experiencing some growing pains and several features no longer work.  Your Outlook contacts will no longer be linked to your Skype account and you will need to manually add them back for the moment, same goes with the Share Charm if you make use of it.   On the plus side Skype 15 will now include the 3×3 Brady Bunch feature every other platform on the planet already offers, as well as the ability to swap your background out with pictures of your choice.

Even more exciting for many is an improved ability to turn off Skype for Windows 10 and even stop it from launching at boot!  As The Register points out the new versions are built on Electron, the same API which Teams was built on.  Skype for Business will go the way of the dodo in less than a year and this is another clear signal from Microsoft of the impending demise of the personal version as well.  Time to start experimenting with the personal version of Teams or to shop around for alternatives to Skype and Zoom.