Can’t communicate with your friends or join a virtual meeting with your team at work because the Skype app on your Android smartphone is not working? Well, you are not alone. It’s a frustrating experience, I’ve had it personally. Fortunately, the problem is one that you can easily fix. To that end, we’ve listed 7 ways to get your Skype mobile app working again on your Android device in the following sections.
Let’s check them out.
1. Check Network Connection
Which internet connection option is your device connected to? Are you connecting to the Internet via mobile data or Wi-Fi network? You should try switching from one network connection option to another. If Skype (and maybe other apps) only works on Wi-Fi, you should check out this guide to learn how to work with mobile data.
If Skype works with mobile data and not Wi-Fi, you should check that your router is actually transferring data. You can try using another app with Wi-Fi to see if the problem is only with Skype or system wide. If it’s only Skype, try other troubleshooting methods below.
2. Restart Phone
A simple action like restarting your smartphone can fix any problem with your device or its app. Hold down the power button and select Restart. Once your phone is backed up, launch Skype and see if it works properly now.
3. Force Stop Skype
Turning Skype off completely can help resolve any issue that prevents the app from opening or working properly. To do this, launch your phone’s Settings menu and go to ‘Apps & notifications’ > App info > Skype and tap the Force Stop icon. Tap OK to continue.
Now restart the application and check if it works now. If not, try the next fix below.
4. Clear Cache
The amount of (unnecessary) temporary files the Skype app creates over time can also cause it to stop working. Clearing these temporary files (also called Application Cache) can help get things back in order. This does not clear app data (passwords, saved files, etc.) but only refreshes the app.
Launch Android Settings menu and go to ‘Apps & notifications’ > App info > Skype > Storage & cache and tap on Clear Cache. Now launch Skype to see if it works.
5. Update Skype
Running an outdated or faulty version of an app on your Android smartphone may cause some functions of the app to fail. In some cases, the application will not work at all. This also applies to Skype. If the Skype mobile app isn’t working on your Android device, you’ll want to make sure you have the latest version installed on your device.
If you can’t find the Update button on the app page, your device has the latest version of the app installed.
6. Enable Required App Permissions
For apps to work properly, they need access to certain hardware and software components on your device. For example, Skype may request access to your phone’s camera and microphone to make a video call. If you want to send a file to your contact, the app may also request access to your phone’s storage.
If your Skype mobile app is not working, you may have blocked the app from accessing some vital permissions on your device. To check and enable required Skype permission, launch Android Settings menu and go to ‘Apps & notifications’ > App info > Skype > Permissions.
Allowing Skype access on your device is entirely up to you (learn how Android App Permissions work), but some basic permissions required for the app to work properly include Camera, Microphone, Storage, etc. is found.
As mentioned earlier, if any of these are disabled, you may not be able to make video calls, voice calls, and send files on Skype. To fix this and get Skype working properly again, check the Denied section of Skype’s app permission page, tap an item and select Allow to grant Skype access to the component.
You can always go back to disable any of these app permissions.
7. Uninstall and Reinstall the App
If any of the above fails to fix this problem then you should consider uninstalling and reinstalling the app from your phone. To do this, tap and hold the Skype icon, then tap the App info icon. Alternatively, you can go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info > Skype. Next, tap on the Uninstall icon.
Skype is on
Fix the Skype app not working issue on your Android phone using any of the above methods. If none of these fixes work, you should check if your device’s software and hardware configurations are compatible with Skype.
Next: Do you want to delete your Skype account because you no longer use the app? Should you delete your Skype account or not? What happens when you do? Find out in the explainer linked below.
