Microsoft will drop the voicemail feature on Skype

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Microsoft has sent an email to all the Skype users today, letting them know that some changes are coming to this application. It seems that the Voicemail feature on Skype will be removed, as Microsoft claims that it is not used so often anymore.

The company claims that they are removing it also as they are transitioning to the modern infrastructure. In other words, starting from now on Skype, will use text or video messages instead of the voicemail. So, if you are calling someone and they are not able to answer, Skype will allow you to leave a text or video messages instead of using the voicemail. Keep in mind that if you prefer voicemails, you will be able to switch to the old “fashion” way by accessing the Skype account portal.

It is good to know that Skype will not support SMS voicemail transcription, email notifications and custom greetings for voicemail. Instead, all these features will be replaced by a “modern way”.

Below, you will be able to see the official email that Microsoft has sent to Skype’s users:

“As an active voicemail user, we’d like to tell you about a few changes we’re making over the coming weeks. Our changes are designed to bring our voicemail and messaging capabilities to the next generation of Skype. This is part of the journey of transitioning Skype to the cloud and offering a more modern service to our customers.

  • Improvements to voicemail – We’re simplifying things for you by enabling all users with the ability to send a text or video message to someone who was unable to answer your call. If you prefer using traditional Skype voicemail, you will still continue to receive voicemails from your callers. And going forward, you’ll control the settings for the feature via the Skype account portal.
  • Features of voicemail which we will no longer support – Based on customers’ low usage, we’ve decided to no longer support SMS voicemail transcription, email notifications, and custom greetings. These will be replaced with a more modern way to leave a message; by composing a short video or text following an unanswered Skype-to-Skype call. For traditional phone calls to Skype Numbers, voicemail messages will continue to be saved.”

Microsoft claims that all these changes will come in the coming weeks and they will affect all platforms that Skype is available on.