Update Your Phone Or Skype Won’t Work Any More

Update Your Phone Or Skype Won’t Work Any More

In honour of Skype’s newest update, the video chat and messaging app is dropping support for a variety of platforms.

Image via Microsoft

According to Techcrunch, over a dozen Skype apps and platforms (including SkypeKit-powered phones) are losing Skype support on July 1, meaning you won’t be able to use the service on certain devices. Bummer.

I’m never a fan of dropping support for older operating systems, especially if maintaining it requires minimal work. On the other hand, the operating systems losing support are years old or underutilised, meaning it might make more fiscal sense for Skype to just drop support for them altogether. Operating systems losing support include iOS 7 and earlier, Android 4.0.2 and earlier, BlackBerry OS 7.1 and earlier, and Skype on TV.

SkypeKit-enabled devices are also losing support, though its demise was prefaced by a 2013 announcement the company was dropping support for the service. Linux users are also losing support for older versions of Skype, though they should use the Skype for Linux beta if they want to continue using the app.

The news isn’t all bad, though. The latest version of Skype features updates that bring it more in line with its competition, messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Snapchat. It even features a story-style ephemeral messaging feature called Highlights.

Highlights lets you create a highlight reel of your day with photos and videos, so you can share everyday moments. To post a Highlight, swipe to access your camera, take a photo or video, then post it to your Highlights or send it directly to your contacts or groups. Once you post a Highlight, your friends and family can react to it with emoticons or by jumping into a conversation.

You can check out the entire list of apps and platforms affected here, and check out the rest of the new Skype’s features on their blog.


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