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This morning we downloaded the Skype app from the iTunes Store for my wife’s iPhone.  We used it to do both Skype text and voice chats with my computer as well as make a call using Skype Credit to my cell phone.  All worked without a hitch.  Hilariously, TechCrunch reports that the release of the Skype app for iPhone “blows a great waft of flatulence in the face of the [telephone/cellular] carriers.”

So, let me update the instructions I wrote just a couple days ago.  Here’s how you can use Skype on your iPhone to make VoIP (voice over the internet) calls for stinkin’ cheap, as long as you can find Wi-Fi access:

1. Get yourself a Skype account and install Skype on your computer. If you intend to call from your iPhone to a landline or mobile phone, you’ll also need to buy some Skype Credit. We bought a block of credit for $10. If I understand the fee structure correctly, this should give us around 480 minutes of talk time.
2. Download the Skype app from the iTunes Store and install it on your iPhone.  If you’ve set up Skype correctly on your computer, the iPhone app should find all your contacts, etc. when you login to the Skype app.  I don’t remember this distinctly, but you may be able to create a Skype account directly from the iPhone app.
3. Set up the phone numbers for the phone contacts you want to call with Skype on your iPhone. VERY IMPORTANT! In order to use Skype to call someone’s phone, the phone number has to be configured like this: + country-code area-code number. For example, a US number might look like +12175555555. Here’s a list of international country codes.
4. Set your iPhone to Airplane Mode (Settings > Airplane Mode > On).  This will ensure that you don’t make or receive expensive calls over the cell network–critical if you’re travelling internationally.
5. Turn Wi-Fi on. Airplane Mode turns off Wi-Fi by default, so you’ll need to turn this back on manually.  Skype should now work over the Wi-Fi network, thus enabling your VoIP calls.

You have now been liberated from the cell company.

Filed under: Computing, Lifehacks, Tutorials by Michael