How to set up the video platform Skype

Staying in touch with your relatives can be difficult if they live far away or you can’t go and visit them. Platforms like Skype are a great solution to this problem, allowing you to call your friends and family easily and, for no charge. In this post we discuss how you can get yourself on the platform.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Skype is a telecommunications application that specialises in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices, the Xbox One console, and even smartwatches, using the Internet. This does not have to be via a Wi-Fi connection, you can also use your network data, although the picture coverage and sound might not be as good as when using a stable broadband connection. We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to get you online by following the steps below.

On an iPhone

You will need to start by downloading the Skype app on the App Store. You can do this by searching ‘Skype’ in the search bar. Once you have found the app, click on the download button on the right to begin the process. Once it begins to download, Apple may ask you to confirm it is you on your phone, either with biometrics like your fingerprint or face ID, or alternatively, if you do not have these set up for verification, you will need to use your Apple ID and password.

If the download fails, if may be because you need to free up space on your phone by deleting some other apps or photos.

To activate a Skype account, touch the ‘Let’s get started’ button which will bring up the next screen where you touch the words ‘Sign in or create’. If you don’t already have a Skype account, you will need to click ‘no account – create account’.

To create an account, add your mobile phone number or email address and touch the ‘Next’ button. This will then lead you to a screen where you’ll be asked to create a secure password. Once finished, touch the ‘Next’ button. Keep a note of your password as you will need that each time you sign in to Skype. Then add your name details and touch ‘Next’:

Skype will next ask you to verify the phone number or email address you put in by sending a code either by text to your mobile number or via email to your email account. You will then need to insert this code back into the Skype app screen.

To finish, Skype will ask you to type in and confirm your age. Once this section is complete, you should be ready to use Skype on your iPhone as you please.

On an Android

Similar to an iPhone, you will need to start by finding the ‘Skype for Android’ app in the Google Play Store. Once you have downloaded the app, you should be able to launch the application by clicking on it. Then touch ‘Let’s go’.

On the next screen you should see a button to sign in or create an account. Once you select this, a screen will come up asking you to sign in. However, if you don’t have an account there is also a smaller link to follow that will help you create one. You can do this by tapping ‘Create One!’

You will then have two ways to create an account. The first is by submitting your phone number and the other is with the button ‘use your email instead’, which means you will need to submit a working email address. If you decide to use your phone number, type in the country code and number and when finished press ‘Next’. If you decide to use your email, enter your email address and click ‘Next.’ Create a password and then click ‘Next’.

Once you have completed these steps the next thing you will need to do is enter your first and last name and then tap on ‘Next’. If you used your email to create an account, an authentication email will have been sent to that email address, so you will need to open that account and click on the email from Skype, which should give you a verification code you will need to verify the account in the Skype app. Then tap ‘Next’.

After this you will need to verify a CAPTCHA. Enter the characters you see on the screen, being aware that it will be case sensitive, then click ‘Next’.

A screen will then come up asking you to choose your theme. If you want, you have the option of putting Skype in dark mode, however, if you’d rather not, just press ‘Skip’ in the top right corner.

You will also need to ‘Allow’ Skype to access your microphone and camera when the permission requests appear. You should then be set to use Skype on your Android.

On a laptop

The process on a laptop will vary depending on the make and model, however, the steps should broadly be the same.

Firstly, in your laptop search bar type in Skype.com and press enter. On the home screen click the arrow in the top right-hand corner next to the button that says, ‘Sign In’. This will bring up three options: ‘My Account’, ‘Use Skype Online’, and ‘New to Skype? Sign Up’. You want the last one.

The process will then become very alike that on a mobile. You will be asked to enter a phone number or email address, create a password, enter your first and last name…

…type in the text message or email verification code Skype will send you, into your laptop and finally, to type in and confirm your age.

Skype for Mac follows the same process, except for the download stage. Go to Skype.com and in the top left corner click ‘Downloads’. This should direct you to a page with a blue button that says ‘Get Skype for…’

If you click on the white arrow on the right-hand side of that button you will see the drop-down option for Mac. Click the blue button again and Skype will begin to download.

Next, open your Mac’s ‘Downloads’ folder and double-click the ​‘Skype for Mac’ installation file to start the installation process. Once you have completely downloaded the application, your Mac will ask you to move the Skype app into your Applications folder. To do this, simply click on the mouse or track pad and drag the icon into the Applications folder on this screen.

You should now have Skype downloaded on your laptop or mobile and be ready to add contacts and make calls.

If you have any questions on how to download Skype, please leave us a comment in the section below and we will try and help you out. If you are struggling with the quality of our call, try reading this blog too. How do I improve the quality of my Skype call?