Microsoft said to retire Windows Live Messenger, use Skype i
updated 10:50 am EST, Mon November 5, 2012
Skype rumored to replace Windows Live Messenger service
When Microsoft purchased Skype, it may have had some key long-term plans in store. The latest rumors stemming from The Verge indicate the software giant's Windows Live Messenger client will be retired in the coming months and integrated into Skype instead. The news comes from several sources, though they are not being named.
Those same sources also indicated an official announcement from Microsoft may come as early as this week. If that's the case, users of Windows Live Messenger can expect to be merged over to Skype. The move shouldn't bee too much of a surprise, as Microsoft began allowing Skype users to log in with their Windows Live Messenger accounts (as well as Facebook) with version 6.0 of Skype for chat functionality. It's also reported that nearly 80 percent of Skype instant messages were handled by Messenger as Microsoft moved developers and programmers over to the Messenger backend for Skype.
