Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Received email from Skype on 28/2 saying that service will be retiring in May 2025. I don't know how many people here it will affect as it's certainly lost it's popularity nowadays with the likes of WhatsApp and various other messaging apps.
It's certainly a pain in the butt for me as I have a UK Skype no. and calls subscription since 2010. This has been invaluable over the years for making and receiving calls from UK both to family and banks/government departments which can be lengthy. Family calls are now mainly using WhatsApp/Facetime, but one in particular (my Dad), can't use a mobile phone with apps, so has to be a landline.
I've had a brief search for porting Skype number elsewhere, but so far all seem to incur hefty monthly charges compared to Skype. I'll continue my search. If anyone has any viable solutions, it would be greatly appreciated.


Content of email:-

Dear Skype user,


In order to streamline our consumer communications offerings, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025. As part of this change, we want to keep you informed about important updates to your Skype paid services and how these changes may affect you.
Please read on for detailed information about the updates and what they mean for your services.
Subscriptions & Automatic Top-Ups: Existing subscriptions will continue to automatically renew until April 3, 2025. After this, all subscriptions will be retired and no longer be available for purchase, renewal, or reactivation. Automatic top-ups will end on April 3, 2025.

Skype Number: Your Skype Number subscription will continue to automatically renew until April 3, 2025 and will remain active until the end of your next renewal period. To port your Skype Number, please contact your new provider directly. Learn more

Skype Manager: Skype Manager users can purchase and renew paid products, including automatic credit top-ups, until April 3, 2025. After this date, only existing credit balances can be allocated to group members for calling.

For SMS services: SMS services will be discontinued on May 5, 2025.

Skype Dial Pad: After May 5, 2025, the Skype Dial Pad will be available to remaining paid users from the Skype web portal and Teams, where you will continue to be able to use your subscription or Skype Credits.

Terms of Use: Skype paid products are subject to the Microsoft Services Agreement.

Thank you for being part of Skype

We want to express our deepest gratitude for your support over the years. Skype has been an integral part of countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of your journey. Learn more about Skype retirement here.

With gratitude,
The Skype Team

I agree AlphMike, I've found Skype invaluable, especially when dealing with my UK bank. I don't know if I'll be able to get through to them on What's App. I'll have to call their customer service and ask. I too have elderly friends who use a landline, I'm not at all sure they'll be able to use WhatsApp! May have to bite the bullet and occasionally use the normal phone for a quick chat on their landline.
If you do find a viable alternative to Skype I'd be most interested.

My understanding is you can use Microsoft Team, which offers the same facility as Skype and your credentials and credit will be transferred to that platform if you wish.

Has anyone any experience with 'Google Voice'?

mrsgee wrote: ↑

Sun 02 Mar 2025 3:45 pm

My understanding is you can use Microsoft Team, which offers the same facility as Skype and your credentials and credit will be transferred to that platform if you wish.

I've only had a brief glance at Teams, but I don't think that it does offer the same as Skype, as in a UK telephone number, or Skype would not have advised to port the number to another provider and instead have recommended or said that it would/could be transferred to Teams.

Jane M wrote: ↑

Sun 02 Mar 2025 1:49 pm

I agree AlphMike, I've found Skype invaluable, especially when dealing with my UK bank. I don't know if I'll be able to get through to them on What's App. I'll have to call their customer service and ask. I too have elderly friends who use a landline, I'm not at all sure they'll be able to use WhatsApp! May have to bite the bullet and occasionally use the normal phone for a quick chat on their landline.
If you do find a viable alternative to Skype I'd be most interested.

I'll be really looking into this properly, not really had the time yet, but will certainly update if I come up with something viable.
I know my Dad can't use WhatsApp. My Mum hands over her phone to him and I either get a lovely view of his ear, or can see his forehead. He wouldn't be able to use the app to call or answer calls. I know, I've sat with him for hours and eventually gave up, much to my chagrin, having totally failed. He's now got one of those senior mobile phones (Doros?) which doesn't come with apps, but he can call home from it, or get someone else to.

Again for banking, a UK number to make and especially receive calls is fantastic without being charged exorbitant rates as compared to using UK mobile phone. Most UK banks won't allow foreign tel numbers, or at least the ones I use don't.

Keithcaley wrote: ↑

Sun 02 Mar 2025 4:36 pm

Has anyone any experience with 'Google Voice'?

Hadn't even heard of it, but will look into it too. Thanks for bringing it to my attention KC.

If you google skype alternative there are quite a few options, will certainly miss it though.

A friend of mine uses this service but I haven’t had time to research it yet:

https://www.voipcheap.com/dashboard

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised about my mobile bill last month, I rang the uk, family member every 3 days and it was never over 50tl and a government office 48 mins under was under 200tl.

https://new.devyce.com/

Been using this for a while. Mainly for sms security codes but also works for voice calls. You can port an existing landline or mobile number or get new number

Many thanks Blueparrot, Snd1966 and Erol. I'll look into those alternative Voip services.

I came up with two which I've still to look into, which are not as expensive as some I've seen.

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/ ... formation/
https://www.voipfone.co.uk/


Snd, that's good to know. I haven't made a voice call from my mobile here for such a long time and hadn't looked into it. I would have no hesitation in using it for something urgent, as have done that in the past. I used to get calls from my UK bank to my mobile here, but they stopped that quite a while ago, so a UK phone number is required, and receiving calls to my UK mobile is quite expensive, think £1.40 per minute, which could be pretty costly.

My heart hit the floor when I read this. During the last three years I have been forced to have long and complicated calls to DWP, banks, solicitors and other Government Departments, some as long as over an hour or more. There is absolutely no way I could pay for mobile calls this length. I can't ever remember making a personal call using Skype but in the 12 years or so I've used Skype for business it has been invaluable.

benjaminbutton wrote: ↑

Mon 03 Mar 2025 1:54 pm

My heart hit the floor when I read this. During the last three years I have been forced to have long and complicated calls to DWP, banks, solicitors and other Government Departments, some as long as over an hour or more. There is absolutely no way I could pay for mobile calls this length. I can't ever remember making a personal call using Skype but in the 12 years or so I've used Skype for business it has been invaluable.

As I mentioned above under 200tl for a call to a government ni number 46 min from my local turkcell I was surprised. My husband rang dwp and I had to look for my ni number and his bill is never over 70tl a month ,

I too will miss Skype.

I like having a UK (London code) “land line” number as part of Skype. This has been useful for giving out to elderly friends and relatives reluctant to call us on a mobile number fearing high call charges.

Skype cost peanuts. I really don’t want another telephony monthly subscription.

Watching this thread with interest in the hope a cheap alternative to Skype is recommended where l could port our Skype number to.

Looking elsewhere too - will post here if l find a cheap, practical solution.

Talk 360 is good

I have just checked out Talk 360. Their minute rates to UK are TL10. 72 for mobiles and TL 8.79 for landlines, which seems reasonable. No idea about how clear their voice calling is but it maybe something to consider in May when Skype goes offline.

But I can't find any information about their monthly charges, these may well prove to be high as their call rates seem cheap.

For me, it is not about making calls to the UK. The opposite in fact: calls from the UK to a UK “land line” number l can receive anywhere in the world Skype reached. Here, for example.

I am considering https://www.swytch.com

Their pricing starting at £5 plus VAT pcm seems reasonable. I would only be receiving, generally not making, calls via their app - no different to how l use Skype.

Has anyone used Swytch and can feed back on their experiences please?

Thanks ETS, another to investigate.

Like A1sysman, my primary aim is to have a UK phone number to receive mainly and sometimes make calls. I don't need to receive SMS as get them on UK mobile at no charge. I certainly can't see me getting the value I got from Skype which was around £32 per year for phone number and subscription. It was a no brainer to keep it going.
Swytch seems not bad at all A1, will keep that in mind, obviously haven't tried it or any others mentioned so far.

Has anyone checked out Andrews and Arnold?

Thanks Snd, I've put a link to them in message 12. https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/ ... formation/
They seem quite reasonable too.

This is srange. No one else seems to have received this Skype message, couldit be a "Spoof"

Jane M wrote: ↑

Tue 04 Mar 2025 4:30 pm

I have just checked out Talk 360. Their minute rates to UK are TL10. 72 for mobiles and TL 8.79 for landlines, which seems reasonable. No idea about how clear their voice calling is but it maybe something to consider in May when Skype goes offline.

I found it clearer than Skype & Viber which is why I changed to it

mikeh wrote: ↑

Wed 05 Mar 2025 12:38 pm

This is srange. No one else seems to have received this Skype message, couldit be a "Spoof"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7vxlrvxyeo

mikeh wrote: ↑

Wed 05 Mar 2025 12:38 pm

This is srange. No one else seems to have received this Skype message, couldit be a "Spoof"

Horse’s mouth…

mikeh wrote: ↑

Wed 05 Mar 2025 12:38 pm

This is srange. No one else seems to have received this Skype message, couldit be a "Spoof"

As in post above, it's in the news. I did my research before posting the email content, and had seen items about it before receiving email. Unfortunately it is true. Perhaps the email only went out to those with skype numbers and subscriptions. Other users who top up may already have noticed that they couldn't do this as apparently Skype had already stopped this and Skype Number. I rarely go on to the website so hadn't noticed any of this until last week when I read an article on another website.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/sky ... 68a9f90472

The problem with Talk 360 is "Talk360 does not currently support sending or receiving text messages."

Yesterday I set up an account for Swytch. It costs £6 per month incl vat and you have to add an extra £6 on opening the account, for call credit. The account is automatically topped up by £5 plus vat when it gets down to £1. I didn't port a number, so they generated one. I had trouble sending text messages initially but their support service sorted it same day. I've yet to try making calls. Apparently it will cost 4.6p per minute for UK landlines and 5.7p per minute for UK mobiles.

EnjoyingTheSun wrote: ↑

Wed 05 Mar 2025 5:24 pm

Jane M wrote: ↑

Tue 04 Mar 2025 4:30 pm

I have just checked out Talk 360. Their minute rates to UK are TL10. 72 for mobiles and TL 8.79 for landlines, which seems reasonable. No idea about how clear their voice calling is but it maybe something to consider in May when Skype goes offline.

I found it clearer than Skype & Viber which is why I changed to it

I signed up for Talk 360 only need it for calls to UK , I put it on my UK phone. I like the fact that it's pay as you go not a subscription every month. I have rung landline and mobile and it was very clear better than Skype.

where are we now with this??

Like many I really don't want another monthly subscription.

Only need the facility to call a landline or mobile in the uK

liked the skype payg model, is there anything coming anywhere close??

thanks all

Take a look at Voipfone. You can just have a PAYG calls to UK landlines 1p per minute and 7p to mobiles. I also ported my UK landline number.
Call their most helpful customer services. I'm very pleased.

The above appears to be the best by far. I have someone over from UK next week, who is far more savvy than I am, so we'll be studying form then

I haven't researched these options yet....and don't know what the costs are but maybe worth a look.

Several Skype alternatives offer UK numbers, primarily through virtual phone services. Sonetel, Fanytel, and Rebtel are examples of platforms that provide virtual numbers in various countries, including the UK. These services allow you to receive and make calls from a UK number, even if you are not physically located in the UK

Compass

When I was looking into it, there were several that couldn't receive texts (e.g. from UK banks).

steveodp wrote: ↑

Thu 17 Apr 2025 4:51 am

When I was looking into it, there were several that couldn't receive texts (e.g. from UK banks).

I hadn't looked into that, but then I do have a UK PAYG sim which receives free texts. I put a memo on calendar to send a text or top it up every so often, it's either 90 or 180 days, can't remember at the moment.

I've gone with Voipfone for now, still on free trial which seems to be just fine.

looks like skype is still there just within the teams app, credit still there looks the same, great news

frugal90 wrote: ↑

Tue 06 May 2025 4:48 am

looks like skype is still there just within the teams app, credit still there looks the same, great news

You can't add any more credit on to Skype now, but the credit that you've already got can still be used for calls until some time in 2026 - after that, you lose it.

If using UK banking apps etc. you will probably need a phone with a UK SIM to receive OTP texts as alphamike said, unless the Bank will accept a TRNC phone number.

Depending on the model of your phone, you may be able to install a 'Virtual UK SIM' or just use e.g. an old Nokia basic phone with a physical SIM for the purpose.

I don't think you can still use a skype landline number though. Tried using VOIP but they say landlines are difficult to transport.

In reply to Keith when he asked about Google Voice, that is for US and Canada only. A lot of info on different alternatives here if they are suitable

https://yollacalls.com/blog/skype-alternatives/

Dalartokat wrote: ↑

Wed 07 May 2025 11:18 am

In reply to Keith when he asked about Google Voice, that is for US and Canada only. A lot of info on different alternatives here if they are suitable

https://yollacalls.com/blog/skype-alternatives/

Thank you, it looks as though Yolla is going to be best for making calls & texts to UK phones and landlines.

Is there a good reason why no one seems to have recommended TEAM

benjaminbutton wrote: ↑

Thu 08 May 2025 7:00 pm

Is there a good reason why no one seems to have recommended TEAM

Skype are recommending teams but unfortunately can't transport an existing phone number as far as I can see.

I have moved to teams a couple of weeks ago, it works very well for video calls to my contacts, but I have not yet managed to work out simple phone calls, which I still have credit for. Had an email to explain what to do, but still could not fathom it. Got yolla now for phone calls.

I just looked at yolla, is it only an app for a phone? I normally use my laptop for calls.

benjaminbutton wrote: ↑

Thu 08 May 2025 7:00 pm

Is there a good reason why no one seems to have recommended TEAM

If you mean 'Microsoft TEAMS' then although you can make free 'peer to peer' calls, the cost to call Landline or mobile numbers is around £24 per month - whether you use it or not!

If anyone knows any different then please enlighten me...

Mollie the cat wrote: ↑

Fri 09 May 2025 2:43 pm

I just looked at Yolla, is it only an app for a phone? I normally use my laptop for calls.

Hi, at the moment it does seem to be a 'mobile' only' app, without the facility to use it on a PC/Laptop.

Viber can be used on a laptop after you have installed it on your 'phone, but it has a different sort of pricing structure to Yolla.

You 'Pays yer money and.......'

I think that using one app - such as Whatsapp or Yolla or TEAMS or Viber for messaging other users (of the same app) on your mobile, while possibly using another app for calls to landlines seems to be the way to go at the moment - there doesn't seem to be a direct equivalent to Skype, as far as I can see.

Thanks for your help KC As you say there doesn't seem to be an equivalent tp Skype. I wonder what businesses are going to do. Maybe it was a case of Use it or Lose it and we are going to lose it sadly.

aerhere wrote: ↑

Sun 13 Apr 2025 3:35 pm

Take a look at Voipfone. You can just have a PAYG calls to UK landlines 1p per minute and 7p to mobiles. I also ported my UK landline number.
Call their most helpful customer services. I'm very pleased.

I have asked them to port my Skype landline number but they are saying it is difficult. Was your UK landline number a Skype one or just a permanent landline number?

cjtill wrote: ↑

Mon 12 May 2025 6:01 am

aerhere wrote: ↑

Sun 13 Apr 2025 3:35 pm

Take a look at Voipfone. You can just have a PAYG calls to UK landlines 1p per minute and 7p to mobiles. I also ported my UK landline number.
Call their most helpful customer services. I'm very pleased.

I have asked them to port my Skype landline number but they are saying it is difficult. Was your UK landline number a Skype one or just a permanent landline number?

Porting my Skype “land line” number to Voipfone was a breeze. İf in doubt during the form filling the Voipfone help desk will walk you through each stage of the application.

Thank you. I have just had notification from Voipfone that they have ported my skype number. Not sure how to use it yet but that is a problem for another day !