The title really says it all. I have Skype on Windows 7 Professional, and I routinely set it from online to busy/don't disturb, invisible or offline depending on how much I can't answer to incoming calls/chat/support requests.
While I may sometimes "forget" to switch to a lower DEFCON state when the pressure abates, and so I do find occasionally useful Skype's deciding that I'm not that busy after all, in the majority of cases this unwanted helpfulness on Skype's part is a major annoyance.
I only have the one account on this one computer (I uninstalled Skype from my Android phone several weeks ago, after hearing people complaining of this same annoyance and agreeing that "one device - one account" was the way to make things work).
The behaviour has been reported as early as 2012, and apparently working installations are wont to pick up this habit for no reason. While having two devices seems to be sometimes the cause, it's evidently not the only one. It happens on Macs as well as PCs.
None of the working "tricks" on the quoted links has worked for me:
- changing the password to ensure all sessions expire
- reinstalling Skype
- making sure it is only running on one device at a time
- logging in/out of Skype site
- removing my Microsoft account (I haven't one)
Has anyone some additional suggestion before I employ the One True Trick, which will get Skype to stop going online by itself... stop displaying ads... stop consuming CPU resources and bandwidth... and stop occupying space on my hard disk? (It involves having it take a trip to Mount Doom).
22 Answers
If you have a Hotmail / Outlook email account, visit outlook.com from your web browser and click on your profile picture (top right). Set the status to "Invisible".
Now quit your Skype application and open it again.
It resolved switching from Invisible to Online status.
Hope it helps.
1Since I don't keep Skype for the sake of keeping Skype, but to communicate - and to do so whenever I want, and not at any other time - I looked for an alternative.
Google Hangouts has the same features I need of Skype (possibly it lacks God knows how many others -- but, not needing them, I wonder if I could care less).
I wasn't too hopeful, but uninstalling does seem to be enough to keep Skype disconnected (apparently Skype doesn't employ GWX technology).
Pity for those few bucks left in my Skypeout account, but it was worth it.
