How to use Skype...How to use Skype Skype offers options for you to chat or make audio and video calls with your family, friends, and co-workers. Furthermore, you can make audio,

How to use Skype

Skype offers options for you to chat or make audio and video calls with your family, friends, and co-workers. Furthermore, you can make audio, and video group calls for free. Also, you do not need to install any additional software for these group calls to work since this feature is built into the Skype apps for Windows, Android, and iOS. Read this tutorial, and see how easy it is to make audio, and video group calls with Skype, regardless of whether you are using a Windows PC, an Android smartphone or an iPhone:

NOTE: Skype lets you create audio, and video group calls with people who use different computing platforms. Group calls can include people who have Skype installed on any Windows, Android, or iOS-powered devices, in any combination.

1. How to make group audio and video calls in Skype for Windows Before trying to initiate an audio or video call, you need to add all the people that you want to contact. This is the great thing about Skype, as you can call out to reach all the contacts that need to be in the "conference," rather than needing to call them individually.There are two methods that you can use to start building the list of people that take part in a group call. For the first one, you have to access the Contacts list and then select the first person you want to talk to.

Selecting the first person to add to the Skype group call

The person you selected is the first member of your group call. Then, you need to add more participants to the conversation. To do this, click or tap the "Add people" button from the chat area.

Clicking the Add people button in Skype for Windows

Skype opens a dialog called "Add to Group", which lists all your contacts. Use the search field or scroll until you find the person that you want to add to the group call. When you find him or her, click or tap on his/her name.

Selecting the other people that are added to the Skype group

Once you click on a name, Skype instantly adds that person to your group. You can see this in the list at the top of the dialog. Continue adding all the people whom you want to invite to your conference call.

The list of people in the Skype group

Another method to start a group call involves building a group chat first. To do so, click or tap on the +Chat button from the left side of the Skype window.

Starting a new chat in Skype

Then click or tap on the New Group Chat option from the menu.

Choosing to create a New Group Chat

Skype asks you to choose a name for your New Group Chat. Type a name you like then press the Next button from the bottom-right corner of the window. It looks like an arrow pointing to the right.

Entering a name for the Skype group

NOTE: You can also add a picture for your group if you want, by clicking or tapping on the image placeholder from the New Group Chat dialog.

Then, Skype opens the list of all your contacts. Click or tap on the people you want to add to your group. Each time you click/tap on a person, you can see that he or she was added to the group, in the list from the top of the dialog.

The list of people in the Skype group

When you have finished adding everyone you wanted, click or tap the Done button from the top-right corner of the "Create new group" dialog.

Finalizing the creation of the Skype group

Now Skype takes a moment to create the new group. When it is done, you should see something similar to the screenshot below.

A group created in Skype

To start an audio call with your group, click or tap the Audio Call button from the top-right corner of the window. Its icon looks like a phone.

Starting an Audio Call with a group in Skype

To start a video call with your group, click or tap on the Video Call button from the top-right corner of the window. Its icon looks like a video camera.

Starting a video call with a group in Skype

2. How to make group audio and video calls in Skype for Android and iOS To be able to do a group audio or video call from an Android smartphone or tablet, or from an iPhone or an iPad, you must first create a group. The next steps are the same for both mobile operating systems. For simplicity, in this section we are going to use screenshots with both systems: on the left there is Android, and on the right there is iOS.

Start by opening Skype and then by tapping on the "new chat" button. In Android, it is found on the bottom-right corner of the screen, while in iOS it is found on the top-right corner of the screen.

Starting a new chat in Skype for Android and Skype for iOS

On the New Chat screen, tap the New Group Chat button from the top-left.

Choosing to create a New Group Chat in Skype for Android or iOS

Enter a name for the new group that you are creating and then tap the Next button that looks like an arrow. You can also assign an image to the group if you want, by pressing the large image placeholder from above the group's name.

Choosing a name for the Skype group in Android and iOS

On the next screen, Skype shows you a list with all your contacts. Search or scroll and tap all the people that you want to add to your group. The ones that you already added are marked accordingly and are also shown on the top of the screen.

Adding people to the Skype group in Android or iOS

Wait for a few moments until Skype has created your group and adds all the people you selected. Then, it automatically opens the group's chat screen.If you want to initiate a group audio call, tap the phone button found at the top-right corner of the screen.

Initiating an audio call with a group in Skype for Android or iOS

If you want to initiate a group video call, tap on the video camera button also found at the top-right corner of the screen.

Initiating a video call with a group in Skype for Android or iOS

And that is it: now you only have to wait for the people in your group to answer your call, be it audio or video, and start talking.