Edit: Due to the fact that this article is old, the installation instructions may not work anymore. In order to successfully install the latest version of Skype, please access the skype tag and open the latest article (the one on top).
The latest installation instructions for Skype
Hello Linux Geeksters. In this article I will show you how to easily fix the Skype no sound or distorted sound issues occured on Fedora 20 systems.
Because skype.com provides only a package for 32 bit Fedora systems, we have to use it for both 32 bit and 64 bit architectures. Follow the instructions for your system’s architecture exactly, in order to successfully install skype.
How to install Skype on 32 bit Fedora 20 systems:
$ wget download.skype.com/linux/skype-4.2.0.13-fedora.i586.rpm
$ sudo yum localinstall skype-4.2.0.13-fedora.i586.rpm
How to install Skype on 64 bit Fedora 20 systems:
$ sudo yum install alsa-lib.i686 libXv.i686 libXScrnSaver.i686 qt.i686 qt-x11.i686 pulseaudio-libs.i686 pulseaudio-libs-glib2.i686 alsa-plugins-pulseaudio.i686 qtwebkit.i686
$ wget download.skype.com/linux/skype-4.2.0.13-fedora.i586.rpm
$ sudo yum localinstall skype-4.2.0.13-fedora.i586.rpm
Now let’s fix the sound issue. The above oneliner works for both the Skype version installed from the Canonical Partner repository and the one downloaded from the official site and installed with dpkg:
$ sudo sed -i 's/^Exec=.*/Exec=env PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=30 skype %U/' /usr/share/applications/skype.desktop
It works. Thanks so much,