In a post on the Skype Blog today, Microsoft announced that users will soon be able to use their Skype accounts to sign into other Microsoft services. According to the company, you"ll still need an email address for certain services, but you"ll be able to access things like OneDrive, Outlook.com, and Xbox Live with a single sign-in.
Of course, Microsoft has been requiring that new Skype users sign up with a Microsoft account since 2013. As you"d expect, you can already use a MSA to sign into all Microsoft services.
The company wants everyone to update their Skype account to a Microsoft account. It offered the following statement to ZDNet"s Mary Jo Foley:
Starting next week when this capability goes live, if you already have a Microsoft account, we recommend updating it with your Skype account. This lets you access Skype, Office, Xbox and other Microsoft services with a single account. After you update your Skype account to a Microsoft account, you can continue using your Skype Name, with your Microsoft account password to sign in, even for Skype. Please note that you can only update your Skype account to a Microsoft account once.
However, if you don"t have a Microsoft account, or want to keep things separate, you"ll need to add an email address to your Skype account. This makes it easier to get back into your account if you forget your password.
Microsoft notes that if you"ve noticed changes already to the "sign-in screen, password change and account recovery flow", it"s because of the company"s efforts to more closely integrate its Skype platform with Microsoft Account services. Also, given that this is all about using other Microsoft services with a Skype ID, it won"t affect how you use Skype itself.