London: Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Live Messenger, also known as MSN Messenger, service will be discontinued from April 8 (today).
Microsoft will close down its MSN instant messaging system April 8, but the service will continue to be available in China.
The US firm has advised its users to switch to Skype by using their same ID and password.
The new Skype service, which allows users to import contacts from MSN messenger, features mobile calls from computers, as well as multiple connections with friends on leading social networks such as Facebook.
The Skype service is available across the Windows, Mac, iOS, Windows Phone and Android operating systems.
Messenger online chat, which was launched in July 1999, reached its peak in 2011 with up to 300 million active users, according to Ars Technica, a technology blog based in the United States.
MSN messenger’s popularity, however, has plummeted to around 100 million clients worldwide at present, the blog said.
In 2011, Microsoft bought Skype, which has 280 million users per month, for US$8.5 billion, and has been promoting the transition since November last year.
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