Microsoft acquires Talko messaging app to improve Skype for Business

Talko, the mobile app built for business team communications, has been acquired by Microsoft to help innovate Skype and Skype for Business.

Bringing together messaging, calling and conferencing, Talko provided a simpler way of communication and productivity for many businesses and was used on a significant daily basis. The messaging app, which began as a startup company, released a statement highlighting the usage and positive feedback and how it was embraced by the vision-impaired. However, smaller, niche products can only go far in this competitive market and the messaging app will soon become part of Microsoft's strategy in 2016.

"The reality is that the broad-based success of communications apps tends to be binary: A small number of apps earn and achieve great viral growth, while most fall into some stable niche." Talko stated in it's blog post.

The move by Microsoft is to fuel future innovation in Skype and Skype for Business which is one of the most popular platforms for video conferencing. The plan is for Skype to use Talko's technology to add new capabilities and features and be fully transitioned into the application by March 2016. Current Talko users will be given instructions on how to export all past conversations before the messaging app shuts down,