Skype downtime today
See our latest update on the downtime.
Earlier today, we noticed that the number of people online on Skype was falling, which wasn’t typical or expected, so we began to investigate.
Skype isn’t a network like a conventional phone or IM network – instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers and phones to keep things up and running. Some of these computers are what we call ‘supernodes’ – they act a bit like phone directories for Skype. If you want to talk to someone, and your Skype app can’t find them immediately (for example, because they’re connecting from a different location or from a different device) your computer or phone will first try to find a supernode to figure out how to reach them.
Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available. Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype. As Skype relies on being able to maintain contact with supernodes, it may appear offline for some of you.
What are we doing to help? Our engineers are creating new ‘mega-supernodes’ as fast as they can, which should gradually return things to normal. This may take a few hours, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption to your conversations. Some features, like group video calling, may take longer to return to normal.
Stay tuned to @skype on Twitter for the latest updates on the situation – and many thanks for your continued patience in the meantime.
The explanation & apology from the CEO of Skype for the “outage” would have been enough for me. I did not solicit a compensatory payment (& indeed deplore the new culture of expecting one every time someone makes a mistake) . Mistakes do happen, and grown up people understand this – what we cannot stand is cover-ups, lies and lame excuses. Thankfully, Skype have not adopted this policy which is becoming endemic in a global industry. I really do not want to have fiction fed to me via a phone call from 3000 miles away. Thank you for $1 – it has more than made up for ten years of rubbish from your competitors.