Amazon has announced the shutdown of its underperforming video conferencing service, Chime, confirming it will cease operations on February 20, 2026. Initially launched in 2017, Chime was developed as a business-oriented alternative to popular platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet, but it struggled to capture significant market share.
According to reports, Amazon halted the creation of new Chime accounts starting February 19, 2025, leaving existing users with limited time to adjust to the change. Current customers will still be able to manage their accounts and utilize Chime's meeting features until the final shutdown date. "After careful consideration, we have decided to end support for the Amazon Chime service, including business calling features, effective February 20, 2026," Amazon's cloud division, AWS, stated.
Amazon's discontinuation of Chime points to its limited adoption beyond the company itself. An Amazon spokesperson cited the lack of widespread use as one of the primary reasons for the service's retirement. "When we decide to retire a service or feature, it is typically because we've introduced something new or our partners offer solutions more fitting for our customers and our own employees," the spokesperson explained. This aligns with Amazon's decision to adopt Zoom as its new standard meeting application.
This transition to Zoom marks significant changes within the company. With approximately 350,000 corporate employees relying on effective communication tools, the shift is intended to unify internal and external conferencing solutions. The company has also begun incorporating Microsoft 365 tools across its workforce, training employees to use familiar applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Teams, but Zoom remains the preferred platform for meetings.
Changes are also sweeping through Amazon's suite of products, as it recently announced the discontinuation of several lesser-known services alongside Chime, including Inspire, its short-form video feed similar to TikTok. This string of service terminations indicates Amazon's strategy to streamline operations, focusing efforts on more successful and widely accepted tools.
Although Chime offered features like high-definition video and ease of use for internal meetings, it failed to gain traction outside Amazon's ecosystem. Successful market competitors like Zoom have attracted most of the user base, showcasing features such as seamless integration and user-friendly interfaces. Now, existing Chime users are encouraged to transition to alternative solutions recommended by Amazon, including Zoom, AWS Wickr, and Salesforce's Slack. Customers are advised to delete their data and migrate settings before the official shutdown, with support available through Amazon Customer Support if needed.
The announcement of Chime's retirement, first reported by Business Insider, is part of larger trends affecting how businesses approach remote collaboration—and users now face new adjustments as they navigate the transition to different platforms for their meetings.
For employees who have relied on Amazon Chime since its inception, new learning curves emerge as they adapt to Zoom's functionalities. While this transition may initially bring challenges, it can also present opportunities to leverage market-leading technology for improved communication.
Amazon Chime's demise, echoed through social media with comments highlighting user frustrations, reflects broader sentiment around underperforming products: sometimes products become burdens to companies and their users, prompting strategic pivots toward innovation with more demand. It is yet another reminder of the rapidly shifting digital marketplace where adaptability is key.
Despite the discontinuation, Amazon retains the Amazon Chime SDK, allowing developers to continue utilizing the underlying technology for application integration. This selective retention highlights Amazon's approach as it balances departure from less successful services with maintaining foundational technologies valuable to its business strategy.
While announcing the end of its video conferencing experiment, Amazon is shifting its strategic focus—the emphasis now being on fostering stronger partnerships with established external solutions. By adopting established platforms like Zoom, Amazon aims not just to streamline its internal communications but to provide its workforce with tools preferred within the industry.
Looking forward, as other tech giants adjust to remote work demands, it will be interesting to see how this transition shapes not only Amazon's operational efficiency but also the future of corporate communication. With continued advancements and shifts, businesses must stay attuned to users' needs and popular solutions, adapting as corporate landscapes evolve.