How to Skype With Alexa

Activate calls hands-free with Skype on your Echo devices

A woman is sitting on a sofa and looking at a mobile phone.
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by Karen Marcus
Karen Marcus is a former Lifewire writer who has also written for companies like HP, Intel, IBM, Samsung, and others.
Updated June 24, 2019

If you love using Skype to communicate, you’ll love that you can use your Alexa-enabled device to do it. Once you pair Alexa with Skype, Alexa will be able to use it to get hands-free access your Skype contacts and make voice or video calls, depending on what type of device you have.

The person you’re calling through Skype doesn’t have to have an Alexa-enabled device.

The following Alexa-enabled devices support Skype:

  • Amazon Echo (1st and 2nd generation)
  • Amazon Echo Plus (1st and 2nd generation)
  • Amazon Dot (2nd and 3rd generation)
  • Amazon Show (1st and 2nd generation)
  • Amazon Echo Spot

There are essentially three steps to make this process work. First, make sure you have a Skype account and you know your login credentials. Next, grant Alexa access to your Skype account. Finally, tell Alexa to make calls using Skype.

When you associate your Skype account with Alexa, you get 100 free minutes of Skype calls per month for two months. 

How to Pair Alexa and Skype

To use Skype with Alexa, you first need to allow Alexa to access your Skype account. You must do this through the Alexa app. Here are the steps:

  1. Have your Skype credentials ready.

    Skype is owned by Microsoft, so your credentials may be associated with a Microsoft account. 

  2. Open the Alexa app.

    Make sure you’re using the latest version. 

  3. In the upper-left corner, tap the hamburger (menu) icon.

  4. From the menu, select Settings.

    The Amazon Alexa app is showing a high-level menu.

  5. Scroll down and, under Alexa Preferences, select Communications. 

  6. Under Accounts, select Skype and, on the next screen, tap Sign In.

    The Amazon Alexa app is showing a screen to sign in to Skype.

  7. After you complete the sign-in process, tap Done.

    The Amazon Alexa app is showing a screen saying the user has completed signing in with Skype.

    You can use the same menu path later to unlink Alexa from Skype if you want. 

  8. The next screen will show you commands you can use with Alexa.

How to Make or Receive a Skype Call Using Alexa

With Alexa synced to Skype, making Skype-to-Skype or Skype-to-phone calls is easy. Just use the appropriate command:

  • Alexa, call Mom on Skype
  • Alexa, call Mom’s mobile on Skype
  • Alexa, call 555-123-4567 on Skype

You can also receive calls via Skype. When you do, you’ll hear the familiar Skype ringtone and notification of who is calling. With Alexa-enabled devices that have screens (such as Echo Show) you’ll also see the person calling on the screen if they have video enabled. Say “Alexa, answer” to answer the call; then you’ll be talking on Skype as you normally would.