Today, May 5, 2025, is the last day that Skype will be available. Microsoft, which owns Skype, is shutting down the service as they focus on Teams as their primary communications platform.
The first time I heard about Skype, I think it was 2005 or 2006. My brother came to my parents and asked, "Why are you still using ICQ? You should install Skype — it lets you call other people for free!" Neither my father nor I believed him. After a few weeks we gave it a try and installed the app. And were blown away. It helped us save so much money and stay connected with so many relatives.
After getting used to Skype, my father bought a webcam, and it was a real revolution in the way we communicated. Almost every other day, my parents and I had Skype sessions with friends and family. Later, when my parents moved to another country, we stayed in touch and talked a lot via Skype.
Skype also helped me stay in touch with people I hadn’t seen in a while. After university graduation, many people moved to other cities and countries, but we could still communicate through Skype.
In 2010, I found Couchsurfing. It became my main way to explore other countries and meet new people. Skype helped me stay connected with the people I met, and at the same time, I could call my relatives and tell them I was alive and just chilling in a cafe in Iceland.
I remember one day when Skype really saved me from sleeping on the street. I was visiting my parents, but they had gone to their summer house, and I forgot the keys to the apartment. And the problem was that I didn’t have a local SIM card. I was standing near the door, but I managed to connect to the Wi-Fi and call them, they told me where I could find the spare key, so I got into the apartment.
Actually, I used Skype not only for fun but for work as well. At one point, in one company, we used Skype as the main messenger. We exchanged texts and could have video calls when needed. It wasn’t the best solution, but it worked for many years. And I can’t complain — it was fine.
At some point, I noticed that fewer and fewer people were using Skype. Friends and family started switching to more modern messengers, since most of them supported video calls and had a much better interface. And once I stopped working at that company, I stopped using Skype entirely.
So yeah, Skype for real played a huge part in my life. I remember talking to my then-girlfriend-now-wife when she was traveling to Great Britain. I had so many interviews with authors and musicians over Skype. Many therapy sessions. Just funny chats with friends. And the last time I spoke to my father was via Skype.
It was a great piece of software. I know I’m not alone in thinking this and having a similar experience. And I’ll miss those funny days, when everyone was younger and could connect with each other through that light blue interface.
Thanks, Skype. And goodbye.
Leave a Reply