Skype has an all new version of the app headed to Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile this summer. Built from the ground up using the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) the app looks to bring a decent Skype experience finally to PCs and phones. Over the last few weeks, my colleague at XDA Jeremy "snickler" Sinclair has been toying with a ripped appX version of the Skype Preview for Windows 10 Mobile. Last night, he finally got a working version of it that can be sideloaded to any Windows 10 Mobile device running Redstone (Insider Slow or Fast Ring; 10586 builds will not work). If you follow me on Twitter (@daniel_rubino) you may have seen me tweeting out some screenshots late last night.

Today, snickler has made the file available to all who want to try out over at XDA in a forum thread. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more My first impressions? It's awesome, and it looks fantastic. Now, to be clear there are a few areas left that needs polishing and most importantly it does not yet make nor receive Skype calls at least on my device. So keep that in mind if you rely on Skype. For messaging, however, it works great. How to Install You can find the full directions and discussion over at XDA, but here is the short version. Remember, use this at your own risk. It is not recommended to sideload external files off the internet, but in this case, I can vouch for snickler and this file. Before you get started you need to have your phone set to Developer Mode. To do that head to Settings > Updated & security > For Developers and enable Developer Mode. Download the appX file from Mega Open the file using File Explorer (double tap) Say yes to the prompt to install It may take up to a minute or more to install, and there will be no install dialog/progress bars during the process; it all happens in the background Once it installs you should see Skype Preview in your app listing. It did replace my 8.1 Skype app. The sideloaded app can be uninstalled just by a long press and selecting uninstall like any other app. Initial thoughts