After many leading companies decided to abandon support for Windows Phone, Microsoft with a similar news, but for a completely different purpose.
Redmond will officially discontinue Skype for Windows Phone 8.1, this will happen in October as it moves Skype to the cloud, deciding to offer the VoIP solution only on the latest version of mobile and desktop.
Windows phone users will no longer be able to chat with their friends on Skype if their devices are running Windows Phone 8.0 or 8.1, and the only way to continue using the app is by upgrading to Windows 10 Mobile.
Older versions of Android will not be supported, and Microsoft says that from now on, Skype will only receive updates for newer versions of Android, iOS 8, and Windows XP through 10. Linux and Mac versions will continue to be supported as usual.
Microsoft said:
“The transition has been underway for some time and is still not complete. The team is working hard to ensure that our users can continue to use Skype smoothly throughout the transition.”
Seeing Microsoft remove support for Skype for Windows Phone 8.1 is a bit unexpected, especially since not all devices are eligible for the upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile, mainly due to technical limitations, so the company is leaving quite a few users behind with this decision.
Microsoft says that the transition to the new cloud-based infrastructure for Skype will be completed in the coming months.
