In its bid to encourage developers to make the switch to Skype UIRs and create apps for desktop, mobile and web platforms, the Skype team has announced that it will be discontinuing support for the Desktop API by the end of this year.
The Desktop API was officially launched in November 2011, as an improved version of the original Skype Public API, which itself was rolled out in 2004.
It allowed third-party applications to connect to the Skype network.
An announcement was published by GigaOM revealing that Microsoft is planning to enhance delivery speed of calls and messages along with offering improved batter life, while providing access to Skype from an even wider array of platforms.
The head of Skype Developer Program, Chris Andrews, explained via an email sent to several developers this week that Skype will shut down the App Directory in September:
“These APIs were originally created in 2004 and do not support mobile application development. Going forward, developers will be able to write applications, which use features of Skype across all the major platforms, through the use of Skype URIs.
We believe this will allow developers to create innovative mobile, web and desktop solutions, while retaining a familiar and consistent Skype experience across devices.”
This means that any chat functionality that utilizes the Desktop API will stop working beyond this date. Full support for the Desktop API will top at the end of 2013.
Andrews added that the decision was not made lightly, and Microsoft wanted to give developers that are still using the Desktop API in their applications enough time to modify their applications before the support ends.
The brand new Skype URIs would help continue Skype’s growth on the mobile front — an area of notable interest for Microsoft as it embraces the concept of a devices and services firm.
