The recent time has been very hard. We all needed to keep distance from the dear ones, which is still compulsory.
Mostly are working from home by keeping distance with family, friends, relatives, etc.
Video conferencing is the best mode to get in touch with the people in such situations. However, it can’t replace in person meetings still you can see and talk to people through video conferencing.
Video conferencing apps like Skype and Google Duo are very popular and also help in keeping alive long distance relationship.
I am using Skype since 2014 for the business purposes. It helps me fast communication with the clients.
I use it on my computer and smartphone, you would be astonished to know that it can also be used on Android TVs.
I will share the exact process of installing Skype on Android TV.
There used to be a Smart TV version of Skype When Skype was a privately owned company. After then Microsoft bought Skype and retired the TV version of it.
However, you can still use Skype on Android TV with some extra efforts. You can sideload it from the Google play store or any other source. Here is the guide that explains how to do it.
How to Install Skype on Android TV
Several methods are available to install skype on Android TV. We will learn one simplest method to do so. We will sideload the Skype on our Android TV.
Sideloading is basically a process to install apps on device from unofficial sources.
We need to take few more efforts in sideloading than installing any app from Google play store. Not all the apps are available on Google play store so they can only be installed by sideloading. So if want to install Skype on Android Tv, this is a working method for us.
Sideload Skype Through APKMirror
We are going to sideload the Skype on Android TV. In this scenario, we will take app from the Apkmirror.com which is a popular site for downloading apk version of apps.
You need to have a web browser installed on your Android TV for it. For this purpose, I would always prefer Chrome Browser.
We are going to use Downloader app which specifically use for searching apk and installing them on device.
On the Home screen of the app, Type apkmirror in to the Search box and click on Go.
It fetches the Google serp results. Find Apkmirror.com here and click on it.
Once the site appears on the screen, search for Skype and Click on Go button.
This process will show you all the available versions of Skype on the screen.
Look for the latest full version of the Skype.
Once you found the latest full version of the skype, click on the Download icon at the right hand side in the row.
You will be redirected to the apk detail’s page.
Scroll down until you see button “see available apks”. Click on it to continue…..
In the next page, you will see the four different versions are available of the same Apk. From starting it is ARM 32-bit version, an x86 version, an ARM 64-bit version and a 64-bit x86 version.
You should always download ARM 32-bit version.
Now click on the “Down Arrow” icon at the right side of row to download the apk file.
It will be redirected to apk download page.
Scroll down on this page and find button “Download apk”.
The file will start downloading. It should take it few seconds to fully download on our device.
Once it finishes, the downloader will automatically start installing app.
Click on the Install button to have Skype on your Android TV.
Once it is installed, you no longer need this apk file. Deleting it will be a good idea. So remove it from your device.
Now go back to the home screen of the Android TV and Run Skype.
How to Run Skype on Android TV Box?
We have sideloaded the Skype on Android TV box, so it will require Sideload Launcher app to run the app.
It is also important for Skype to look fine on the Android TV screen. We will also share one process for it. So stick around until end of this article.
First of all run the Skype app from Sideload launcher.
On the Home screen of Skype, You will be asked to Login or Create an Account.
I am assuming that you already got an skype account. If not, go to Microsoft Signup page and sign up for new account. It would be lot easier to perform Signup on pc rather than doing it on Android TV.
In the next Screen, Enter User Name and password. Here you should use USB keyword attached to Android TV BOX. It becomes lot easier entering username and password.
Once you login to your Skype account, it will ask for permission to access your contacts. You don’t need to grant permission, however, it simply makes it easier to contact friends and family from the contacts in list.
So simply click on Allow.
Next Skype asks for permission to access webcam and microphone. Even if you don’t have both installed with Android TV, simply allow both of these permissions.
After the above step, skype will show the dashboard screen where user can make calls or start chat.
We alI know that this is not a native Skype app for Android TV. So it can switch itself from landscape to portrait mode, so you need to install the Set Orientation app to keep it in Landscape mode. The procedure of installing app is the same as we sideloaded the Skype on Android TV Box.
The Set Orientation app generally works fine with all the android devices, still it gives some error, or doesn’t work properly, you can try with any other similar sort of app.
Once you installed the Set orientation app, set the orientation to Landscape.
Final Words
So this was the entire process of Installing Skype on the Android TV. We have also talked how to configure Skype properly on the Android TV. If you have doubt on any step, comment down. We will try to explain in better way.
