Are you still rockin’ a Windows Phone 7 device? Do you regularly use Skype? If so, you might want to consider upgrading.
Skype announced this morning that it has stopped development of Skype for Windows Phone 7. The decision was made after it decided to focus all of its efforts on Windows Phone 8 for the foreseeable future. It also probably has something to do with the fact that there aren’t many Windows Phone 7 users out in the wild anymore.
Here’s the full statement:
Earlier this year we outlined Skype’s Mobile Future, where our work on Windows Phone has been leading the way in a number of key areas. Skype for Windows Phone was the first Skype mobile app to have HD Video Calling, the new Modern user interface and be always on and power efficient. The Windows Phone 8 platform is gaining good momentum in the marketplace and at Skype the vast majority of our Windows Phone base and usage is on Windows Phone 8.
Just recently we released Video Messaging for our Windows Phone 8 app, enabling you to record and share messages, even when friends and loved ones are not available for a call. As we look ahead to the future, we are focusing all our efforts to bring great experiences and improved performance to Windows Phone 8, building on the capabilities of the platform. As a result we are not planning to release further updates to Skype for Windows Phone 7. However the Windows Phone 7 app will remain available to download in the Windows Phone Store, so users can still keep using the core Skype experiences, such as Chat, Voice and Video Calls.
So, it’s all not bad, right? Windows Phone 7 users can still use Skype. They’re just not going to get any new features. If new features are all that important to you, you might just want to upgrade to Windows Phone 8. Microsoft just bought Nokia’s devices and services division, and will probably be pumping out some pretty good hardware in the near future. It’s as good of time as any to upgrade for the devoted Windows Phone fan.
[Image: Skype]