The company promises a “great new experience” as part of newer versions

Jun 21, 2014 05:46 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has just announced that it's shutting down older versions of the Skype desktop client on Windows and Mac OS X computers, calling for users to update to the new builds that are already up for grabs on both platforms.

The company says that it's working to improve the experience offered to consumers, so switching everyone to the latest Skype version is the only way to do it.

As a result, Skype for Windows desktop (6.13 and below) and Skype for Mac (6.14 and below) will be retired in the coming months. Microsoft hasn't provided any clear specifics on when the shutting down is scheduled to take place, but it did mention that users have a few months to update.

“Skype is all about getting people together, whenever they’re apart. To ensure that we provide our users with the best communication experience possible, we are always looking for ways to enhance the features you use every day,” the company explained.

“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.”

Microsoft has already been testing a new interface for Skype users on the desktop, but only small refinements have been implemented until now. This time, however, the company says that future Skype improvements would offer a “great new experience” which would most likely include a redesigned UI.

Redmond says that everyone running an older version of Skype needs to update to the latest release as soon as possible to make sure that their client doesn't get discontinued.

“We encourage all users to update to the latest version today to continue using Skype without disruption,” it warned.

Windows 8 users have a fair advantage this time, as they can always download and install the Metro version of Skype which is also available free of charge from the Windows Store or pre-installed on the majority of Windows 8.1 copies. It does lack some of the features available on the desktop, but it's still a pretty neat way to stay in touch with your contacts.

In the end, try to make sure that you are running the latest version of Skype as soon as possible and if you're looking to download the final builds, just click the download links below to get the ones working on your computer.

Download Skype for Windows Download Skype for Mac OS X