To quote on Leo Tolstoy ”Instant messengers are all alike; every remodeled instant messenger tend to be like the others”. All jokes aside, Microsoft decided to refurbish the Skype app for handheld devices and now it looks like a hybrid of WhatsApp, Viber, and Snapchat. And just like those renowned apps, Skype tends to cover every possible aspect even remotely related to instant messaging.
Some users reported that they’re unable to connect to Skype and even send messages from their Android handsets. Not to mention the inability to seamlessly perform or receive a video call. For that purpose, we prepared some workarounds and tweaks that should help you resolve the problem and maintain the stable connection. You can find them below.
Meet the requirements
- Android OS 4.0.3 or higher.
- ARMv7 processors are a must for video calling. Users with Armv6 processors can use messaging and VoIP calls, but it won’t support video calls.
- 32MB of storage space. This tends to expand over time.
Check the device connection settings
However, if something is wrong, you should follow the steps below and troubleshoot the connection on your device:
Once you’ve managed to establish a proper connection, give Skype another shot. If the problem is still there, and negative reviews of Skype 8 turned out to be correct, move to other solutions on the list.
Even though it seems that they made a mistake with remodeled Skype app a.k.a Skype 8, frequent updates are always welcomed. Users expect resolution of most common problems that keep stacking up like worms after a rain. Now, with every new update, some problem is addressed, so, statistically, it’s a good chance that your connection problem will be resolved. If not with the current update, at least with some upcoming updates.
- Open the Play Store app.
- Tap Menu.
- Choose My Apps & Games.
- Look up for the Skype – IM & Video Calls app in the Updates tab.
- If the update is available, choose to update.
- Restart your handset and look for changes.
As you’re probably aware, apps store cache to speed up the loading process and save micro-settings. However, after some time, piles of the cache can and will affect the app’s performance. Don’t let the small size of the stored cache fool you into thinking that it can’t slow down the app or cause errors. So, it’s advised to clear cache from time to time, especially if some strange problem emerged. It’s worth a try and won’t cost you much.
- Tap Settings.
- Open Apps (Applications).
- Tap Skype and open Storage.
- Clear Cache and Data.
- Restart your device and sign in again.
Reinstall Skype
- Tap and hold Skype app under the App list.
- Draw it to the top and Uninstall it.
- Restart your device.
- Open Play Store app
- Look up for Skype – IM & Video Calls.
- Install the app.
Downgrade with APK
If that’s still not enough, and Skype 8 proved to be a nefarious band of misfortunate events and bad decisions made by Microsoft, you can use APK file to install the older app version. Of course, don’t forget to disable the auto-updates within the Play Store Settings. We don’t want to get Skype 8 again, do we?