14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will soon discontinue Windows Live Messenger, so users have no other option than to move to Skype right now or install a third-party instant messenger that will still work for a while.
Merging Skype and Messenger accounts previously required users to be at least 18 years old, so the company issued a statement for ZDNet to provide more information on the matter.
While the company says that children with a valid Microsoft account can freely migrate to Skype, it also explains that parental consent is currently required, so unless you’re 18, the transition could be pretty difficult.
“We are pleased to tell you that children with a valid Microsoft account can now use Skype by logging in with their Microsoft account. The process will follow the parental controls you have already established for the child’s Microsoft account,” the company stated.
“This means children (with the appropriate parental consent for their country) can now choose to use Skype by signing in with a Microsoft Account (MSA). In the US or Korea, parental consent (per standard MSA flow, meaning if it already is authorized, it already works) is required.”
Windows Live Messenger will be phased out gradually starting with April 8, but the application will completely go dark before the end of the month.
Microsoft recommends users to complete the transition to Skype as soon as possible, even though some have already expressed their intention to stick to the Messenger protocol using one of the many apps available on the market.
As we’ve told you, the Messenger service will live on for a while, as Microsoft is only killing the Windows Live Messenger application for now, and not the whole protocol.
It seems that Messenger servers will be shut down next year, but the Redmond-based technology giant is yet to provide more information on this.