14 DAY TRIAL // A bug in the Android version of Skype causes calls to be automatically answered regardless of the settings that users saved on their devices.
The mobile application comes with an option to automatically answer incoming calls, but due to the bug, Skype ignores user options and instead turns it on by default.
As noted by AP, the first reports of the issue were published on Microsoft’s forums back in January, and since then, several users confirmed this happens on their devices as well.
The typical workarounds didn’t make any difference, and these include cleaning the cache and reinstalling the application. However, the bug was tracked down to smartwatches, as it turns out that whenever users paired their Android devices with wearables, Skype calls were answered automatically.
Fix already being developed
Not much is known at this point about this issue, but disconnecting the smartwatch seems to do the trick for some. This applies to both wearOS and Tizen smartwatches developed by Samsung, but the glitch hasn’t yet been confirmed with fitness trackers like Fitbit’s and Garmin’s.
By the looks of things, Microsoft has already acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix, with the latest version released to insiders said to correct this behavior.
There’s no ETA as to when all users would get it, but since this could eventually end up quite a major privacy concern, there’s a good chance Microsoft would give the go-ahead rather sooner than later.
In the meantime, if your phone calls are answered without you giving any input, you know what you have to do: just disconnect your smartwatch, at least temporarily, if you really have to use Skype. Other than that, keep in mind that toggling the dedicated option in the settings screen on and off doesn’t make any difference until a patch is shipped to users.