Top 7 Ways to Fix Skype Audio Delay on Mobile and PC

Skype has some of the best video calling features. Some users still find it difficult to communicate effectively due to the imbalance in audio-video quality. If you are also experiencing delays in audio delivery during Skype video calls to your smartphone or computer, you should check out the solutions listed in this guide.

Generally, when your audio and video are out of sync, the main culprit is your Internet connection. Using Skype on an unsupported device or running too many bandwidth consuming processes on your device can also cause Skype audio and video to become out of sync during a call. We have described seven troubleshooting fixes that can help you get rid of this problem in the section below.

1. Check the Internet connection

A robust Internet connection is required to use Skype optimally. Skype recommends a minimum download / upload speed of 100 kbps and 300 kbps for basic audio and video calls, respectively. Of course, this is higher for advanced features such as high definition (HD) calls, group video calls, etc.

Video calls with a bad Internet connection can result in poor audio (and video) quality. If you are using a wireless network, verify that the router is transmitting correctly. Move closer to the router if you are far from it. You can restart the router to refresh the network. You should also try other troubleshooting tips that can help boost your router’s Wi-Fi signal strength.

For mobile devices using cellular data, disabling and reactivating mobile data may be useful. Another thing you could do is turn on Airplane mode and turn it off after a few seconds. This will help you refresh your device network. If nothing works, try resetting your phone’s network settings.

2. Close Skype

If you’re sure your network connection isn’t the problem, try closing the Skype app on your phone or PC and reopening it. If you are using Skype from a browser, close the browser and restart it. This could help correct any problems in the application causing audio transmission delay during voice or video calls.

3. Close other applications

The audio delay problem could be due to the unavailability of sufficient RAM. Try closing some active apps on your device to free up device resources for Skype to work properly.

Note: This tip applies to both mobile and PC.

You should particularly look for other applications using your device’s microphone and speaker: audio / video calling applications, gaming applications, social networking applications, etc. If an application uses your device’s microphone simultaneously during a Skype call, you may experience some audio transmission.

4. Suspend active file transfer

In addition to closing other active applications, you must also suspend all active file transfers. For context, if you are simultaneously streaming a video or uploading / downloading a file during a video call, this will reduce the amount of bandwidth available for Skype to work properly. Therefore, it could cause delay in audio transmission.

Pause all downloads or file downloads in the background, pause the video you’re playing, and check if Skype audio and video are now synchronized.

5. Restart the device

If none of the above methods resolve the issue and Skype video and audio are still out of sync during calls, restarting your device may help. A simple restart is an effective solution for Skype audio problems and other similar problems on your phone or PC.

6. Update Skype

If the audio delay problem is due to a bug in the app, updating Skype to the latest version on your device would solve the problem. Go to your device’s app store and check if an update is available for Skype.

Update Skype for Android

Update Skype for iOS

Update Skype for Windows

Update Skype for Mac

7. Check device compatibility

If the Skype audio delay problem persists, or maybe you can’t update Skype (in method # 6 above), check that your device is compatible with Skype hardware and software requirements. You may experience audio-video delay if your device does not meet one of the following requirements:

• The Windows: Windows 10 (version 1709) or higher; 1 GHz processor or more; 512 MB of RAM or more; DirectX v9.0 or higher.
• Mac: Mac OS X 10.10 or higher; 1 GHz Intel processor or higher; 1 GB of RAM or more; QuickTime (the latest version).
• Android: Android OS 4.0.4 or higher; 32 MB of free or higher storage space.
• iPhone / iPad: iOS 10 or higher.
• Web browsers: Microsoft Edge and the latest versions of Google Chrome.

You can visit the Skype Help Center to learn more about the minimum system requirements for your device.

Hassle-free communication

Updating your device’s operating system – if it doesn’t meet operating system requirements, that is – could also help. It’s also worth mentioning that the audio delay may not be on your side. If the problem persists after exhausting all available solutions, ask the person (s) with whom you communicate to also perform the above troubleshooting methods.