Skype to Close

[Jun]

Skype will close in May. https://bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vxlrvxyeo

The internet will be full of advice telling us to use Zoom, Teams, WhatsApp etc. I find Whatsapp IS perfect for calling family and friends,

However, Skype was perfect for when forced to make an international call to a telephone number. Typically to a backward company such as a bank or credit card company, who don't use Whatsapp or any equivalent.

So a SKYPE replacement is needed.

[2lz2p]

I use Skype including having a USA telephone number. I initially started using them before Microsoft bought the company.
I rec'd a message from Skype noting they would be closing in May and giving me a link to https://www.skype.com/en/. That link has the following message with a link to "learn more".

Goodbye Skype,
hello Teams

Skype is retiring in May 2025. Beginning March 2025, you will be able to sign into Microsoft Teams Free with your Skype credentials, and your chats and contacts will be right there ready for you. Enjoy the features you love about Skype, including free calling and messaging, as well as new features like meetings and communities, all on Teams app.

They also have some comments below that message about the closing with a some "read more" links.

I haven't followed the links to learn more about Teams Free, but will sometime before they Skype closes. It does note on that page if I choose to use Teams Free, my credit will be transferred along with other data.

[Jun]

I haven't followed the links to learn more about Teams Free, but will sometime before they Skype closes. It does note on that page if I choose to use Teams Free, my credit will be transferred along with other data.

As far as I can tell, "Teams" is like an inferior Zoom competitor. As one of my pastimes is investing, I sometimes use it to watch company presentations.
Thankfully, it's usually possible to do that without logging into my Microsoft account.
Logging in is always a pain.

It's seriously screwed up. I just jumped through the hoops to log into my Microsoft account via Skype on my phone.
I then show my Microsoft profile details in that.
1 It shows no phone number registered, despite it having just sent a login PIN to my phone. How can it do that if no number is registered ?

2 If I try to login to Teams on my tablet, it doesn't recognise the email address shown against my Microsoft account on the phone. Despite Teams suggesting I login with my Microsoft account.

3 The alternative to having a PIN sent to my phone is to send it to my e-mail. Microsoft insist on sending it to an old e-mail address, despite me having changed this within the Microsoft settings a couple of years ago. It even shows my new e-mail address then proceeds to tell me it's using the older address for the PIN. The PIN arrives at neither of the addresses.

[Gaybutton]

My question now is what are the best existing apps that come closest to replacing Skype? I've read about Microsoft Teams and at least for me, it's an app I don't like. It will be interesting to see if new apps come along that are similar enough to Skype to be a good replacement.

For just chatting via text and video calls, LINE is a good one. I know LINE works in the USA. I don't know about the UK or elsewhere, but LINE too has a number of flaws - size limits on file transfers and no way to make phone calls. With Skype I liked being able to call USA toll free numbers, but LINE doesn't do that.

Those of you who have suggestions, please post.

[Jun]

With Skype I liked being able to call USA toll free numbers, but LINE doesn't do that.

The ability to call foreign phone numbers cheaply is the key feature of Skype. The only feature I will miss.

What's App is absolutely perfect for having text, audio or video chat with other Whatsapp users. However, the moment you need to phone a non-user of Whatsapp, it can't help.

Line is perfect for text with bar boys. Particularly with all the amusing emojis. I turn off audio calls. It also has the ability to turn off notifications for a specific user. But like Whatsapp, it is no use at all for phoning my credit card provider in the UK.

[Gaybutton]

What I have found so far is Microsoft Teams can make computer to computer calls, just like Skype. When I installed it, it picked up my Skype contacts. Apparently, depending on your ISP, an icon to dial telephone may or may not appear. On mine, the icon does not appear. There is an explanation available about how to get the icon to appear, but I don't understand it. If anyone can post an easy to understand walk through, please do.

To dial telephone numbers via computer, I found an app called Viber that has a dialer. The only international calls I ever make are to USA toll free numbers. With Skype, it is totally free. I suppose I will find out if the same is true with Viber next time I have to call one of those numbers.

Also, if anyone has other suggestions, please post.

[Jun]

For making audio or video calls from PC to PC or to a smartphone, there are numerous alternatives.
Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Meet, Teams and others. IMHO, Teams is by far the worst. I explained some of the problems before.

All require the person on the other end to consent to use the app. I find WhatsApp works well on the phone or PC. I recommend it.

Of course, the moment you want to phone a bank in a different country, you need to use a phone number. Banks don't do WhatsApp or anything helpful. That's where I used Skype.

I searched Viber costs on google and found this:https://account.viber.com/en/rates-index
That has "Rates starting from".
That's a red flag. They specify a minimum rate. What's the maximum?

[Gaybutton]

That's a red flag.

For me it's a red flag only if there is a fee for calling toll free numbers. It does say calling a toll free number in the USA is free. I tried it using my computer. The number I called rang once then cut off. Then a message came up about using the Viber app on your mobile phone.

I tried it with my Viber smartphone app and it worked. I let it ring until the usual recorded menu answered and then I rang off. I have no idea whether there is a charge despite their saying calling toll free numbers is free.

I would prefer to be able to make such calls via my computer and I have no idea why the app doesn't let me, but if the call truly is free, it's better than nothing.

As for the apps Jun recommends, I did try them, but got nowhere trying to sign up for them - just frustration. But Teams did work and the person I would be communicating with says he already has had Teams for a while now, uses it regularly, and has encountered no problems. That is what we are going to try. If there are problems, it's back to the drawing board.

[Jun]

Thanks. I shall look into Viber for the phone call use case.

I suggest having another go with WhatsApp. Install it first on your phone and register it with your mobile phone number. After a while, anyone in your contacts list who already uses WhatsApp should appear on the WhatsApp contacts.
There is also a PC app for it.