Desktop and mobile users will need to switch to the redesigned Skype 8 when support ends.
Microsoft is ending support for Skype Classic (also known as Skype 7) in November. The desktop version will receive no new updates or security patches after November 1, and the mobile version will be dropped on November 15. The company announced the decision on its Skype blog, and urged users to upgrade now to avoid disruption when support ends.
Microsoft faced angry retaliation in July, when it announced that all users would have to switch to the redesigned Skype 8. Most complaints centered around various tweaks intended to bring the desktop software more in line with the mobile app.
This resulted in the loss of features (like the ability to customize webcam settings) and the end result was a chat client that felt more like WhatsApp than serious video conferencing software.
Microsoft swiftly backtracked, and declared that although users could upgrade to Skype 8 if they wanted to, it would continue to support Skype Classic while it ironed out those early issues.
«Based on user feedback, we are extending Skype 7 (Skype classic) for some time,» the company said in a forum post . «Our customers can continue to use Skype classic until then.»
It now turns out ‘some time’ was approximately four months. Microsoft has spent that time rolling back some of the less popular changes, and adding new features like voice and video call recording, which will appeal to people who use the software professionally.
Via The Verge
