Skype 5.0 for Linux has been announced a few hours ago. It’s now in the beta stage.

What’s New in Skype 5.0 for Linux:

• Calls to mobiles and landlines with Skype credit
• one-to-one VIDEO CALLS support from Linux to Skype for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.
• View shared screens from other Skype desktop clients
• Unity launcher now shows the number of unread conversations
• online contacts in contact list now include Away and Do Not Disturb statuses.

How to Install Skype 5.0 for Linux in Ubuntu / Linux Mint:

The new release can be installed from the Skype apt repository, simply open terminal from Unity Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut key and run following commands one by one:

1. Make sure you have ‘apt-transport-https’ installed by running command:

dpkg -s apt-transport-https > /dev/null || bash -c "sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https -y" 

Type in your password (no visual feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter.

2. Download and install Skype GPG key via command:

curl https://repo.skype.com/data/SKYPE-GPG-KEY | sudo apt-key add -

3. Add Skype apt repository to your system via command:

echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://repo.skype.com/deb stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/skype-stable.list

4. Finally, install Skype for Linux either via Synaptic Package Manager or by running following commands in terminal:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install skypeforlinux

How to Remove:

For any reason you can remove Skype for Linux either via Synaptic Package Manager or by running the command:

sudo apt remove skypeforlinux && sudo apt autoremove

And you can remove the Skype repository via Software & Updates -> Other Software.