Microsoft has been sending out messages to its many desktop Live Messenger users informing them that, starting on Monday, April 8th, the company will begin the process of moving their accounts to Microsoft's Skype service. Microsoft will start with its English users and the process will end April 30th with Brazilian Portuguese.
With just one week to go before the account transfers begin, the remaining users of Live Messenger have had a few specific questions about the process of moving over to Skype. ZDNet.com reports that Microsoft has answered some of those questions. One of those issues concerns Live Messenger users who are under 18 years old. Apparently, users must be 18 years old or older to complete the Live Messenger-Skype transfer process.
In its answer, Microsoft states:
We are pleased to tell you that children with a valid Microsoft account can now use Skype by logging in with their Microsoft account. The process will follow the parental controls you have already established for the child’s Microsoft account. This means children (with the appropriate parental consent for their country) can now choose to use Skype by signing in with a Microsoft Account (MSA). In the US or Korea, parental consent (per standard MSA flow, meaning if it already is authorized, it already works) is required.
Some users have also wondered if Skype will have the same type of Remote Assistance feature that Live Messenger currently has as part of its software. Microsoft indicates that while Skype doesn't replicate the Remote Assistance feature in Live Messenger, Skype users can still "share screens and walk through assistance via voice or text."
Finally, MSN Premium customers who have had Live Messenger support inside the browser that comes from the service have wondered if Skype will also be supported. Microsoft's answer is that the Windows desktop client for Live Messenger will be updated to Skype like everyone else starting on April 8th. It added, "We will have more information regarding Messenger experiences on other platforms at a later time."
Source: ZDNet.com | Image via Microsoft
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