Microsoft Gives Skype Classic An Indefinite Reprieve Following Scathing Customer Backlash
"Everything about this new version, from the underlying performance improvements to the usability enhancements, is designed to keep you connected to the people who matter most," wrote Microsoft at the time. "We built Skype version 8.0 based on feedback from our community—adding exciting new features while ensuring it’s simple to use with the same familiar interface of Skype version 7.0."
Microsoft indicated that users of the current "Classic" Skype desktop experience would be forced over to the new Skype 8.0 client beginning on September 1st. As you might expect for people that become accustomed to the way things look and operate in one of their most oft-used pieces of software, there was immense backlash to the idea of a "forced" migration to the new, more modern UI look for Skype.
Skype team members took to the official Microsoft support community to say that it has listened to user feedback and is adjusting its rollout strategy for Skype 8.0:
Based on customer feedback, we are extending support for Skype 7 (Skype classic) for some time. Our customers can continue to use Skype classic until then.
Thanks for all your comments - we are listening. We are working to bring all the features you've asked for into Skype 8.
There is no new timeline for when customers will eventually be forced to upgrade to Skype 8.0, but it's good to see that Microsoft is taking the criticism to heart with this most recent action. We're not sure if the customer feedback will lead to major changes to how Skype actually looks, but it appears that the company is ready to address some of the more egregious missteps of Skype 8.0 like the inability to have simultaneous chat windows open.
