Skype launched in 2003 and became one of the first widely used video-calling services, with its bright incoming-call ringtone becoming familiar to millions of people through home computers, laptops and early webcam chats. Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 and kept the sound as a recognisable part of the service for many years. As video calls moved to newer apps, the ringtone survived online as a nostalgic sound effect, shared on soundboards and used in edits to suggest an old-fashioned call. It remains a useful shorthand for a video chat, much like a modern Discord call in a meme or skit.
About this sound
The classic Skype incoming call ringtone, a bright two-tone chime repeated for about 22 seconds. Use it for prank calls and fake video chats.
The Skype call sound is the familiar incoming-call ringtone from the classic video-calling app, a clean electronic chime that rises and falls in a bright two-tone pattern and repeats while the call is unanswered. It is light, instantly recognisable and slightly urgent without being harsh, carrying the feeling of someone waiting on the other end of the line. Hearing it immediately suggests an old computer, a webcam conversation or a long-distance chat from the 2000s and 2010s. For listeners it creates a quick flash of nostalgia, while in videos it instantly signals that a call is coming in or that someone needs to pick up.
