Got one of those old-fashioned Windows Phone 7 devices? Yes. I know. They’re not old. Microsoft, however, is ending support for their very own Skype app on the OS. Sure, the product will still be available, but it won’t be updated.
Windows Phone 7 users probably won’t be too surprised though. Those owners have already been aware that they’re using an OS which won’t be updated any more and the only real way forward is to jump up to Windows Phone 8. However, for those using Android or iOS, it is a little surprising. And that, in itself, is also surprising.
I know. I think I lost myself in that last sentence too, but put it this way. The current release of Skype for Android runs on Froyo 2.2. That’s an OS from 2010, baby, and the newest, freshest Skype version.
Setting Our Course for the Future of Skype for Windows Phone
Skype is all about bringing people together whenever they are apart. A big part of this mission is ensuring that we deliver the best possible experiences to the devices that you use each and every day.
Microsoft has the best platforms to enable us at Skype to build excellent experiences for our users. Over the past year, we’ve made a lot of progress bringing Skype even closer to the devices and services from Microsoft. Whether it’s Snap on Windows 8 allowing you to do something else on your PC while having a video chat, Group Video Calling on Xbox One or powering Chat for Outlook.com, Skype is becoming an increasingly integral part of Microsoft devices and services.
Earlier this year we outlined Skype’s Mobile Future, where our work on Windows Phone has been leading the way in a number of key areas. Skype for Windows Phone was the first Skype mobile app to have HD Video Calling, the new Modern user interface and be always on and power efficient. The Windows Phone 8 platform is gaining good momentum in the marketplace and at Skype the vast majority of our Windows Phone base and usage is on Windows Phone 8.
Just recently we released Video Messaging for our Windows Phone 8 app, enabling you to record and share messages, even when friends and loved ones are not available for a call. As we look ahead to the future, we are focusing all our efforts to bring great experiences and improved performance to Windows Phone 8, building on the capabilities of the platform. As a result we are not planning to release further updates to Skype for Windows Phone 7. However the Windows Phone 7 app will remain available to download in the Windows Phone Store, so users can still keep using the core Skype experiences, such as Chat, Voice and Video Calls.
We’re excited to be working on even more great experiences for Skype for Windows Phone which we can unveil in the future. As always, stay tuned and keep watching our blogs for updates and news where we’ll let you know when more good stuff is on the way.
For support on Skype for Windows Phone 7, you can go to our Skype Community pages here.
Where is the “more to come” from the liar Joe Belfiore ????????