Skype isn’t as popular as WhatsApp, but it offers unique features that aren’t available on other mainstream messaging services, like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal. Indeed, Skype not only allows you to communicate with other Skype users, it also offers paid features that allow you to contact a person on their telephone number.
These features are very practical for people who want to make international calls. Skype credits allow you to have attractive rates for international calls. And it is even possible to obtain a local number, for a country, in order to receive calls via Skype, as if you lived in that country.
But, unfortunately, Microsoft recently ended these two features. This was confirmed by the Redmond firm. “The sale of new Skype numbers and Skype credits has been permanently discontinued”the spokesperson said, according to TechCrunch. “For some customers, the interface for purchasing new Skype credits may still be visible in some entry points, but payment attempts will not be successful. We are aware of this issue and are working to make necessary updates.” On the other hand, Skype still offers subscriptions for international calls.
Skype: how many users?
While it was once one of the benchmarks for video calls, Skype could not resist the arrival of new competitors. At the time of its IPO in 2010 (before its acquisition by Microsoft), Skype had 124 million monthly users, with a total of 560 million registered users.
Today, Microsoft communicates very little about the number of Skype users. However, in a press release published in February 2023, the Redmond firm revealed that “more than 36 million people use Skype every day to connect through phone calls and chats across borders and around the world.”
Otherwise, like other applications of this type, Skype saw a sharp increase in usage during the pandemic.
- Skype is free for communications between users of the application, but it generates revenue by offering international calling functionality to telephone numbers
- However, Microsoft has just confirmed that it no longer sells Skype credit and no longer offers local phone numbers other than the app.
- On the other hand, Skype continues to offer subscriptions
- As of February 2023, Skype had 36 million daily active users
