Skype Alternative Needed
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Dublin, Ireland. (No, I just live here.)
Microsoft killed Skype, replaced it with Teams. Which is much better, to be honest - we use it heavily where I work, while the “home” version is still free to folks with any free Microsoft account.
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: Canada
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Australia
N4790P
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Asia
Psychophysiological entity
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
I got an email saying they were closing skype. They suggested downloading MS Teams, which I've done. It seems it's the answer to everything and I darn well hope it is, 'cos I'm kind of committed to Skype for my phone and people list. Just lazy, just assuming Skype would see me out, but now I'm trying to make head and tail of Teams.
I'd be interested if others are going the same route as my brain is not up to speed on such things.
I'd be interested if others are going the same route as my brain is not up to speed on such things.
N4790P
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,557
Likes: 233
From: Asia
I got an email saying they were closing skype. They suggested downloading MS Teams, which I've done. It seems it's the answer to everything and I darn well hope it is, 'cos I'm kind of committed to Skype for my phone and people list. Just lazy, just assuming Skype would see me out, but now I'm trying to make head and tail of Teams.
I'd be interested if others are going the same route as my brain is not up to speed on such things.
I'd be interested if others are going the same route as my brain is not up to speed on such things.
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Asia
Skype had a good run but its days are numbered. With smartphones and high speed internet now ubiquitous, the ability to dial a landline isn’t really needed anymore. Both parties are likely to be using handheld devices with 4/5G or fast wifi and there are a myriad of apps out there that basically do the same thing.
I used to have a Skype subscription for the wife to call her relatives in the Philippines at US$0.12 per minute to mobile, but now they’ve got broadband at home and the cost through Facebook messenger is zero.
Skype will pass into internet history alongside Napster, Netscape and a few others.
I used to have a Skype subscription for the wife to call her relatives in the Philippines at US$0.12 per minute to mobile, but now they’ve got broadband at home and the cost through Facebook messenger is zero.
Skype will pass into internet history alongside Napster, Netscape and a few others.
N4790P
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,557
Likes: 233
From: Asia
Skype had a good run but its days are numbered. With smartphones and high speed internet now ubiquitous, the ability to dial a landline isn’t really needed anymore. Both parties are likely to be using handheld devices with 4/5G or fast wifi and there are a myriad of apps out there that basically do the same thing.
I used to have a Skype subscription for the wife to call her relatives in the Philippines at US$0.12 per minute to mobile, but now they’ve got broadband at home and the cost through Facebook messenger is zero.
Skype will pass into internet history alongside Napster, Netscape and a few others.
I used to have a Skype subscription for the wife to call her relatives in the Philippines at US$0.12 per minute to mobile, but now they’ve got broadband at home and the cost through Facebook messenger is zero.
Skype will pass into internet history alongside Napster, Netscape and a few others.
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: near an aeroplane
I saw a news item today stating that Microsoft will pull the plug on Skype later this year. I guess they stole enough from it to feed into their own mess called Teams and want to kill off the competition now.
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Asia
Public phone boxes have virtually disappeared as well, you rarely see someone inside one, let alone a queue to use it. Some of the messaging apps such as WeChat have a facility to call land lines but this isn’t the primary purpose of the app. The number of people wanting to call landlines has obviously diminished to the point where they aren’t making enough money.
I can remember back to the days when mobile phones were becoming widely available to everyone and weren’t a status symbol anymore. People already had a landline in their homes and went out and bought a mobile phone so now they had two lines, which was handy in the days of dial up internet. However when they moved house, there was a growing trend of not installing a landline and just relying on the mobile. Around this time broadband was rapidly expanding and if you had an ADSL connection and a mobile you were all set up.
Wifi calling may be a replacement for Skype. For those not familiar with this feature, basically as long as a wifi signal can be accessed normal phone calls can be made even from abroad without roaming being involved. I have an account with an Australian telco which offers this feature but note that not all mobile phones support it. When overseas with wifi calling enabled, my phone connects to the Australian network through the internet just a if it was in Australia and connecting through the cellular network. Any calls made or received are charged as though I was in the country. It’s also very useful if you have poor network coverage at home but a decent broadband connection.
I can remember back to the days when mobile phones were becoming widely available to everyone and weren’t a status symbol anymore. People already had a landline in their homes and went out and bought a mobile phone so now they had two lines, which was handy in the days of dial up internet. However when they moved house, there was a growing trend of not installing a landline and just relying on the mobile. Around this time broadband was rapidly expanding and if you had an ADSL connection and a mobile you were all set up.
Wifi calling may be a replacement for Skype. For those not familiar with this feature, basically as long as a wifi signal can be accessed normal phone calls can be made even from abroad without roaming being involved. I have an account with an Australian telco which offers this feature but note that not all mobile phones support it. When overseas with wifi calling enabled, my phone connects to the Australian network through the internet just a if it was in Australia and connecting through the cellular network. Any calls made or received are charged as though I was in the country. It’s also very useful if you have poor network coverage at home but a decent broadband connection.
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: The Smaller Antipode
Of all the various communication sites that I have read will make up for the loss of Skype, which one is most like Skype ? i.e. to just make International calls from my Windows Laptop ?
I'm not interested in forming :"links" or creating "groups" or lists of favourites, just open the site, select the keyboard option and dial the number, which I may never need to use again, as I have with Skype for over 20 years. ( yes, I have had to occasionally top up my account, but 0800 numbers to the USA from my NZ base were free anyway, on Skype ) I have for long objected to Microsoft forever changing everything, if it wasn't broke why fix it ? This is a disaster, to my US wife and myself at least,
Any suggestions please ?
I'm not interested in forming :"links" or creating "groups" or lists of favourites, just open the site, select the keyboard option and dial the number, which I may never need to use again, as I have with Skype for over 20 years. ( yes, I have had to occasionally top up my account, but 0800 numbers to the USA from my NZ base were free anyway, on Skype ) I have for long objected to Microsoft forever changing everything, if it wasn't broke why fix it ? This is a disaster, to my US wife and myself at least,
Any suggestions please ?
Joined: Jan 2008
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Posts: 1,025
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From: Australia
Of all the various communication sites that I have read will make up for the loss of Skype, which one is most like Skype ? i.e. to just make International calls from my Windows Laptop ?
I'm not interested in forming :"links" or creating "groups" or lists of favourites, just open the site, select the keyboard option and dial the number, which I may never need to use again, as I have with Skype for over 20 years. ( yes, I have had to occasionally top up my account, but 0800 numbers to the USA from my NZ base were free anyway, on Skype ) I have for long objected to Microsoft forever changing everything, if it wasn't broke why fix it ? This is a disaster, to my US wife and myself at least,
Any suggestions please ?
I'm not interested in forming :"links" or creating "groups" or lists of favourites, just open the site, select the keyboard option and dial the number, which I may never need to use again, as I have with Skype for over 20 years. ( yes, I have had to occasionally top up my account, but 0800 numbers to the USA from my NZ base were free anyway, on Skype ) I have for long objected to Microsoft forever changing everything, if it wasn't broke why fix it ? This is a disaster, to my US wife and myself at least,
Any suggestions please ?
https://www.viber.com/en/
Guest
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 13
Likes: 4
From: Hakatere
Hello ExSp33db1rd. Is the main problem connecting to overseas landlines? Whats App is excellent for messaging, mobile to mobile speech and for video calls, providing of course your recipient has a Whats App account. Likewise, Facebook (Meta) Messenger gives face to face video calls via a p.c. or laptop. Both systems also allow multiple people to make group calls. Support for free access to landline numbers has been dropping, along with the physical number of landlines worldwide. Can you encourage your contacts to switch to cell phone or internet communications?