Skype is becoming increasingly popular for video calling your loved ones and even making cheap long distance phone calls to anyone you know around the world. Wondering how to install Skype on your smartphone? Maybe you’re a mom or dad who travels a lot and just wants to see their families’ faces every day while you talk to them. Perhaps you have a son or daughter serving abroad. Skype can make it possible to record videos and talk to them at the same time.
For the purposes of this tutorial, we will use the Android operating system, Android Market, and Google Play to learn how to install Skype on your smartphone.
6 Simple Steps to Install Skype on Your Android Phone
Step 1 – Find the Google Play or Market widget icon on your smartphone. Google recently changed from the Android Market to a full site called “Google Play” that includes books, music, movies, and Android apps.
Step 2: Once you’ve found the icon, it will open and Google will show you all your featured apps, books, movies, and music. There should also be a magnifying glass at the top right of the screen. You can click on it and a search text field will open. Here you can search for any Android app. For the purposes of this tutorial, type “skype” in the text area. Once “skype” appears in the dropdown area, tap on it and you’ll be taken to the download area. There will be a few different options, such as “Video calls without Skype” and “Skype Direct Dial”. The rest will be music and book options, so choose the top option, “Video calls without Skype.”
Step 3: The next window will give you detailed information about the application; screenshots, the number of downloads, user reviews, overall rating and developer’s website. This is all good information. In the upper right corner of the window there should be a “download” button. Look? Now touch it!
Step 4 – Before you accept and download the app, Google must relinquish the permissions that this app will need for your phone. In the case of Skype, it requires permission for its storage issues, its location, system tools, etc. There are certain apps you don’t want to grant these permissions to. However, knowing that Skype is a trusted source and app, that means you can safely hit the button that says “Accept and Download.”
Step 5: Once you hit “Agree & Download”, your Android smartphone and Skype app will be joined! You can see the progress in the download bar. Your Android smartphone will automatically install it on your phone.
Step 6: Once the download is complete, you can immediately open and start using the Skype application by creating an account and starting to search for contacts, loved ones and interesting people. Enjoy!
