does skype run through safari?

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does skype run through safari?

Hiya,

I'm really not technically minded so please bare with me! My parents are going on a cruise to the Caribbean from the UK and we were trying to work out the best way to keep in touch. So me and my dad (we both have iphone 4's) have down loaded the Skype app.

Now looking at the info about the wifi on-board the ship it says it does not support safari, only explorer and fire fox. Does this mean we can't Skype after all?

We have never used Skype before so a little unsure about how it works.

iphone4

Posted on Jan 15, 2011 5:32 AM

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Answer 1

wjosten

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Jan 15, 2011 5:36 AM in response to sazzy6

If you both have iPhone 4's, why are you messing around with Skype? Just use FaceTime. All FaceTime calls are done over WiFi, & are free.

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Answer 2

DaVBMan

Level 6

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Jan 15, 2011 5:38 AM in response to sazzy6

Well it isn't that it uses Safari, but some WiFi hotspots will require you to first open Safari to accept terms and conditions of the free wifi yadayada legal nonsense, before giving an IP that can route out.

Thus if they don't support Safari you may have issues.

I cannot see why they don't support a given browser.

But once connected with access getting out, you can then use Skype.

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Answer 3

sazzy6 Author

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Jan 15, 2011 5:43 AM in response to wjosten

Sorry, showing my ignorance here, how do you do this? I rang Tesco Mobile today and the told me facetime was 50p per minute. How do you avoid the charges?

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Answer 4

sazzy6 Author

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Jan 15, 2011 5:44 AM in response to DaVBMan

Fingers crossed that it will be okay then. I wasn't sure why certain browsers wouldn't work TBH but that's just the info my dad has been given.

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Answer 5

wjosten

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Jan 15, 2011 5:47 AM in response to sazzy6

On your phone, Settings>Phone>FaceTime>On.

Then read through this:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4319

FaceTime calls are free, Tesco is wrong. There is no way for them to charge you for WiFi use. They most likely want to scare you(because they lose revenue) or they are completely ignorant.

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Answer 6

sazzy6 Author

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Jan 15, 2011 6:31 AM in response to wjosten

Thank you very much for this advice - it has been very helpful! As it turns out facetime was off on my phone and so never seeing the icon I had not really looked into it. I had heard of facetime but never really considered using it!

I hope this will work while he is on the ship!

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Answer 7

deggie

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Jan 15, 2011 7:46 AM in response to sazzy6

Just keep in mind that WiFi is not free on ships, he will have to connect to the ships WiFi to agree to all the terms and sign up (which will probably entail using a different browser on the iPhone), and it will be very expensive to use the ships WiFi.

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Answer 8

sazzy6 Author

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Jan 15, 2011 7:51 AM in response to deggie

Thanks, he will check the price before signing up, but looking at the cost of calls from Tesco mobile it is 89p per minute for calls and 40p for texts. So even if the cost is a little on a steep side it might still be worthwhile.

They are going away for 3 weeks so a package might be possible?!?

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Answer 9

deggie

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Jan 15, 2011 7:53 AM in response to sazzy6

Tesco has nothing to do with it, you need to check with the cruise line they are going on and see what the rates are and if they have any package plans. I would also guess that by now they have had many iPhone 4 users on their cruises and can advise you which browser you need on the iPhone to connect with their WiFi.

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Answer 10

sazzy6 Author

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Jan 15, 2011 8:03 AM in response to deggie

I am aware that tesco has nothing to do with wifi I was comparing the two options price wise.

E.g. tesco calls at 98p per minute

wifi conection 50c per minute (I am guessing here)

then he would be better off using the wifi connection.

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Answer 11

deggie

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Jan 15, 2011 8:07 AM in response to sazzy6

So what are the prices for WiFi on the cruise line? Do keep in mind texting may not be possible on the cruise ship.

What cruise line is it?

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Answer 12

sazzy6 Author

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Jan 15, 2011 8:25 AM in response to deggie

LOL - not sure to either of those questions. I will leave it up to him to research when they get there. I'm sure, armed with all this information, he will be able to make the best/cheapest choice.

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Answer 13

deggie

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Jan 15, 2011 8:32 AM in response to sazzy6

Be prepared: there is no "cheapest" choice on a cruise. There is either "ouch" or "I'll have to sell one of my children to pay for this."

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Answer 14

cls24

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Jan 15, 2011 9:29 AM in response to deggie

deggie wrote:
Be prepared: there is no "cheapest" choice on a cruise. There is either "ouch" or "I'll have to sell one of my children to pay for this."

Great visual, but you are right.. Cruise ships make money on what you do once you get on the ship. They make little if you just walk around and eat the free food. They want to sell you everything, tours, liquor, shows, paid restaurants, etc.. and Wifi is one of them. You can buy a "package" on may cruise lines for in room wifi and/or in room Ethernet, depends on the age of the ship and the lines.

However most ships have a computer room with Wifi (for a fee)

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