SEATTLE — Microsoft is shutting down its free app for making voice and video calls.

The company said Friday that Skype will be phased out in May and replaced with a different free service it already offers: Microsoft Teams.

What You Need To Know

  • Microsoft is shutting down its free app for making voice and video calls

  • The company said Friday that Skype will be phased out in May and replaced with a different free service it already offers: Microsoft Teams

  • It said communications technology has significantly evolved and that it is making the move to streamline its offerings

  • Originally developed in 2003 and acquired by Microsoft in 2011, Skype will be available until May 5

In a statement, the company said communications technology has significantly evolved and that it is making the move to streamline its offerings.

“With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging and file sharing,” Microsoft said in a statement

Teams also offers the ability for users to host meetings, manage their calendars and join communities for free.

The company said Teams’ use has grown fourfold over the past two years.

To help with the transition, existing Skype accounts can be used to log into Teams. Their Skype chats and contact will automatically appear in the Teams app. Before Skype is phased out, Skype and Teams users will be able to connect with each other.

Skype users who do not want to migrate over to Teams can also export their data to save it outside the system.

Originally developed in 2003 and acquired by Microsoft in 2011, Skype will be available until May 5.