14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft announced during the weekend that it was removing old versions of Skype, calling for users to update to the latest releases as soon as possible in order to make sure that they benefit from all improvements it made to the app.
Windows XP users were among the first to get worried about this new change, as Microsoft hasn't clearly stated whether those running this particular platform would no longer be able to use Skype or not.
Fortunately, the latest Skype versions on the market are still working on Windows XP and Microsoft hasn't said a thing about such a plan, so users who are yet to upgrade can still run the Skype client on their computers.
Here are the system requirements for the latest version of Skype for Windows desktop:
Version: Windows XP Service Pack 3, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit versions supported) or Windows 8 Processor: At least 1 GHz RAM: At least 256 MB Additional software: DirectX v9.0 or above
In other words, Windows XP users can rest assured that Skype will still work on their operating system for at least another year, although you shouldn't be surprised if Microsoft indeed decides to pull the plug on the client that works on Windows XP.
Microsoft has only mentioned that its decision to discontinue old versions of Skype is supposed to bring more users to the new releases, promising that more great features would be implemented soon.
“As we look ahead to the future, we‘re focusing our efforts on bringing the latest and greatest to the most recent versions of Skype. As a result, we are going to retire older versions of Skype for Windows desktop (6.13 and below) as well as Skype for Mac (6.14 and below) over the next few months,” the company said.
“Don’t panic – whether you’re using Skype for Windows desktop or Skype for Mac, you can download and update to the latest version today for free. We encourage all users to update to the latest version today to continue using Skype without disruption.”
The latest versions of Skype bring quite a lot of improvements, including video message support that allows you to send short clips to contacts even if they're not online, synchronization across devices for those who are using Skype on more than just a single computer, and chat conversation logs that can be accessed from smartphones and tablets for a more consistent experience.