Today, Skype is finally shutting its doors for good, waving goodbye to a generation of users whose first video calling experience was on this very platform. It dug out a special place in our hearts with its instantly recognizable call tone and the lemony blue logo. With its sad demise, Microsoft is nudging users to shift to its sibling, Microsoft Teams. On paper, that sounds good. In reality? I’m not thrilled.
All Good Things Must Come to an End
Skype turned video calling into a household thing back in the 2000s and the early 2010s. Hosting over 150 million users daily at its peak. I remember signing up for the service in 2007 after watching it in a movie. Yes, Skype was once that cool. It wasn’t just any other application, it was part of the pop culture back then. It even joined the likes of Google and Photoshop as a verb. “I’ll Skype you” wasn’t just something you said, it was something everyone understood.
However, Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for a whopping $8.5 billion. But they didn’t pay the necessary attention to their billion-dollar investment, leading to its steady downfall. Laggy connections, dropped calls, and an interface that didn’t age well. By the time the pandemic hit, there were already better alternatives than Skype, which still looked like it was stuck in 2013.
Why Teams Isn’t The Right Alternative
Now that Skype is making its way to the tech graveyard, Microsoft wants you to switch to Teams. Honestly, the transition process is quite easy, as you can use your old Skype credentials to sign in to Teams. The service will also let you carry over your Skype chats and contacts to Teams.
Teams is made for professional use, and that’s the problem. It doesn’t feel remotely welcoming for casual or personal conversations. There’s no quick, spontaneous vibe to it. And using it outside of work makes me feel like I am stuck in the cubicles of Lumon Industries from Severance.
Looks are one thing, but it isn’t good at its job either. Many Teams users have pointed out issues with the software. One Redditor shared their experience with Teams, saying, “Finding things is an absolute nightmare. It’s unintuitive and hard as hell to use. Akin to navigating a maze in dense fog with 25% vision“.
Another Reddit post had this to say, “Everything is so slow. Opening documents or PowerPoint prompts a resize to my current resolution, resulting in a pause of about half a second every time“.
“Does anyone else find teams an absolute nightmare? Why is it difficult to perform an audio-visual check without making a test call?“, an issue voiced by another frustrated user. Many, many posts like these go to show the glaring problems with Microsoft Teams.
So, What Should Replace Skype?
If Teams isn’t the solution, then what is? Well, I have tried some other alternatives, and I feel Google Meet easily fits the role. It’s free, fast, reliable, and doesn’t even require a sign-in to join a meeting via link. It’s integrated well into the Google ecosystem, supports a bunch of useful Chrome extensions, and has a no-nonsense interface. For casual and professional use alike, it’s a solid bet.
However, if you want something more personal, then there’s WhatsApp. It’s surprisingly good for video and voice calls. Meta has done an incredible job making the experience extremely reliable and seamless. Plus, it is receiving some professional upgrades like screen sharing, large group support, and reactions during video calls, which are also coming to the web version of the app soon.
Besides that, you can check out Discord, which is great for communities and friends. And if a professional option is all that you’re going for, then I’d pick Slack any day over Teams. It feels lighter, more fun, and easier to navigate. You can create multiple workspaces, and it doesn’t make every interaction feel like you need to be wearing a suit and a tie to attend it.
So Long, Old Friend
Skype had a legendary run. From catching up with friends, maintaining long-distance relationships, to holding remote job interviews, it was part of our digital coming-of-age story. And while we moved on, it still deserves a respectful farewell. But Microsoft Teams? It’s just not the successor we deserve.
I would rather ask you to export your Skype data and move on somewhere else than continue with Microsoft Teams. But that’s just my opinion. Till then, thank you, Skype, for all the memories.
