Use a screen reader to view and navigate a profile in Skype for mobile

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This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with Skype and is part of the Skype Accessibility content set. For more general help, visit Skype Support home.
 

Use Skype with a screen reader (VoiceOver on iOS devices, TalkBack on Android devices) to view and navigate the profile of a contact or someone you have chatted with. From the profile, you can, for example, start calls or conversations, block or delete a contact, or change chat settings. The information provided in this article is for use with the latest version of Skype. For more information, please go to How do I update Skype?
 

Notes:

• This article assumes that you are on an Android phone or iPhone. Some navigation and gestures might be different on an Android tablet or iPad.
• This article assumes you are using TalkBack (for Android) or VoiceOver (for iOS).
• To learn more about accessibility features, go to What accessibility features are available for Skype?

In this topic

• View a profile
• Navigate a profile
  • Add a contact to favorites
  • Rename a contact
  • Start a chat or call
  • Create a new group
  • Use the Chat gallery
  • Configure chat settings
  • Remove or block a contact

 View a profile

1. In Skype, swipe right until you hear either "Chats" or "Contacts," depending on if you want to view the profile of a Skype contact or a chat session
2. In the Chats or Contacts list, navigate to the contact whose profile you want to view, and double-tap and hold to open the context menu. You hear the display name of the contact or chat.
3. Swipe right until you hear "View profile," and double-tap the screen. The User profile dialog opens.

 Navigate a profile

You can access many actions from the profile of a contact or someone you've chatted with.

Note: Not all actions are supported for all profiles.

 Add a contact to favorites

In a profile, swipe right until you hear "Add to favorites," and double-tap the screen. Chats or contacts selected as favorites show up at the top of the Skype Chats or Contacts list.

 Rename a contact

1. In a profile, swipe right until you hear "Edit profile," and then double-tap the screen.
2. Swipe right until you hear the contact's name, then double-tap the screen.
3. Enter the new name for the contact using the on-screen keyboard. When you are done, swipe left until you hear "Save," and then double-tap the screen.

Note: Changing the name of a contact only changes how their name appears to you.

 Start a chat or call

To start a chat or a call with a contact, do one of the following:

• To send a message, swipe right until you hear "Send message," and then double-tap the screen to open a chat pane with the contact.
• To start a call, swipe right until you hear "Start call," and then double-tap the screen.
• To start a video call, swipe right until you hear "Start video call," and then double-tap the screen.
• To start a private conversation, swipe right until you hear "Start private conversation," and then double-tap the screen to send an invitation to a private conversation. Messages, media files, and calls in a private conversation are encrypted.

Create a new group

1. In a contact profile, swipe right until you hear "Create new group with," followed by the name of the contact, and then double-tap the screen. You hear "Create new group."
2. The Create new group dialog contains a Search people and bots button, a list of current group members and a list of suggested members. To move between them, swipe left or right.
   
   To filter the list of suggested members, navigate to the Search people and groups button, then double-tap the screen. Start typing a name into the Search box. To add a suggested contact to the group, navigate to the correct entry in the list by swiping left or right, and then double-tap the screen.
3. When you are finished with adding group members, swipe left or right until you hear "Done," and then double-tap the screen to create the group.

Use the Chat gallery

The Chat gallery contains photos, files, and web links shared in a chat. You can use it to easily browse previously shared content.

1. In a profile, swipe right until you hear "Open Chat gallery," and then double-tap the screen. The profile is closed and the Chat gallery opens.
2. To browse the contents of the Chat gallery, swipe right until you hear the currently selected tab. Swipe left or right until you hear a tab you want, then double-tap the screen to select it.

Configure chat settings

You can access the settings from a chat profile. You can toggle notifications on and off, or delete an entire conversation. If you have opened a private chat, you can also toggle notifications for the private chat separately, delete the private chat, or end the private chat, which lets you continue chatting without end-to-end encryption.

1. In a chat profile, swipe right until you hear "Chat settings," and double-tap the screen.
2. Swipe right until you hear the setting you want, and then double-tap the screen to select it.

Remove or block a contact

To remove a contact:

1. In a profile, swipe right until you hear "Remove from contact list," and then double-tap the screen. The Remove from contact list window opens.
2. Swipe right until you hear "Remove," and then double-tap the screen to confirm the removal.

To block a contact:

1. In a user profile, swipe right until you hear "Block contact," and then double-tap the screen.
2. Swipe right until you hear "Report abuse from this person." If you want to report abuse, double-tap the screen to toggle the option. To select a reason for your report, swipe right until you hear the option you want and double-tap the screen.
3. Swipe right until you hear "Block," and then double-tap the screen.

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.