As of today January 9, 2012 – Microsoft has made available new update to Skype. Old MsN messenger will be retired and you can now merge your Live ID with Skype. Skype becomes the ONLY supported messenger platform. Skype and Windows Live Messenger are coming together. Update to Skype, sign in with your Messenger ID and your contact list and the IM feature will be there.
So, what’s happening between now and the retirement?
Messenger will continue to work as you know it today. If you are signed in with Messenger on your desktop** you will see a banner notification to upgrade. When you click on the banner, an installer window will open with the request to upgrade. This will take you through our installer flow to install Skype and automatically uninstall Messenger.
So, what’s happening after the retirement?
Messenger users on desktops** will not be able to sign in and will only be able to upgrade to Skype. If you attempt to sign in, a notification will appear, and if you continue, you will be taken through our installer flow to install Skype and automatically uninstall Messenger at the same time.
Can I update to Skype on my mobile?
Yes! Skype is available on iPhone, Android and soon on Windows Phone 8. We encourage you to download the latest Skype app on your mobile and then uninstall Messenger. You will be able to sign in to Skype on your iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 8 mobile apps with your Microsoft Account over the next few weeks. If you use another phone with Messenger on it, it will continue to work for a while.
Where can I learn more?
For more help on updating to Skype, please visit the Skype Support site.
The process is actually very simple and it is done in 1 minute time. It is very seamless and both accounts are merged and available. Only difference is now that you will not use your Skype sign in for Skype, you will need to start using the Microsoft Live Id.
Here are screenshots from my install:
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Download the updated version of Skype here
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