If you tried getting Skype for Ubuntu 13.10 from the official website, skype.com, you would have noticed that it officially supports up to Ubuntu 12.04. As Ubuntu 13.10 comes with PulseAudio 4.0 and Skype does not correctly support it, the sound in Skype may not work as expected. In this guide we will go through the different methods and steps to install Skype and how to fix the sound issue.
Install Skype from Canonical Partners
This is the easiest way to install Skype without having the sound issues. Reason being, installing Skype from the Ubuntu 13.10 repositories comes with fixes that are not available when install Skype from the official website.
Step 1: Open Ubuntu Software & Updates.
Step 2: Select the Other Software tab.
Step 3: Enable Canonical Partners.
Step 3: After clicking on add, another window pops up.
Step 4: Click on reload.
Step 5: Open a terminal and type the following:
sudo apt-get update
Step 6: Once the source has been updated, type the following to install Skype:
sudo apt-get install skype
Skype should now install without any issues.
If you have installed Skype using another method and you now find yourself facing distorted or no sound from Skype, you can apply the below fix.
Step 1: Open a terminal.
Step 2: Run the following command:
sudo sed -i ‘s/^Exec=.*/Exec=env PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 skype %U/’ /usr/share/applications/skype.desktop
The sound on Skype should now work properly.
