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Viber apps for android1/23/2024 ![]() These are similar to emojis in that they are images intended to spice up conversation. The service supports emojis, but it places more emphasis on stickers. Conversations are threaded, and the app shows when a message has been read but not when other parties are typing. Get the Message Viber still maintains a solid core as a texting app. The only Viber integration that I can discern is that the games let you challenge your Viber contacts. ![]() These aren't games you play through the app, but rather links to games on Google Play made by Viber and others. Viber has also introduced a Games section since I last looked at the app. For example, you can scan a special QR code on other Viber users' phones to add them to your Contact list. The process has been greatly streamlined. This was a visually jarring experience and a bit confusing. Two other changes: Viber previously used the default Android contact editor. Calls to other countries are charged by the minute and range from 1.3 cents per minute to call China to 2.3 cents per minute for calls to India. ![]() Interestingly, there is a setting that allows Viber to receive non-Viber incoming calls, although it did not work for me in testing.Ī quick note about Viber Out: Calls made through this service require credits, but only if you're calling outside the US. It also encrypts your SMS messages while at rest on your phone, adding a unique layer of protection. Signal, on the other hand, does work as a total phone and messaging replacement, and adds excellent encrypted voice and text messaging to boot. If you could send standard SMS messages from Viber to nonusers the same way you make Viber Out calls, you could use it for everything. Tap on the entry of someone who doesn't use Viber and you have the opportunity to invite them or make a Viber Out call. Viber users are marked with a purple icon, and tapping one gives you the options for free calls, free messages, video calls, and a Viber Out call-which basically means a normal phone call. The center tab, Contacts, mirrors your phone's contact list. Complete call information, including whether the call was incoming or outgoing, is in the far right Calls tab. Interestingly, if you make a call to another Viber user, this also creates an entry in the Chats tab. Your current chats are shows in the far left tab. A large blue plus button, for example, pulls up a list of all your contacts that use Viber so you can quickly start a new one-on-one or group message. The app now sports a look more in line with Google's material design aesthetic. New Look, Same Vibe Viber's interface has changed a lot since the last time I looked at it, and all for the better. Note that Google Voice has more or less been absorbed by the excellent Google Hangouts app. Viber is focused more on communication, so look at Google Voice if you want to merge multiple phone numbers behind a single number. This is in stark contrast to Google Voice, which lets you create a new, independent phone number that will redirect to the devices of your choosing. ![]() It also means you can only be logged into one device at a time. This means you have to deactivate your Viber account and export your message data when you get a new device with a different number. You can't really use Viber on a tablet because, for better or worse, your Viber account is tied to your existing phone number. I was prompted to enter a confirmation number when I tried to install Viber on my Nexus 7 tablet but didn't see such when setting up my phone with Viber. Viber handles this authentication behind the scenes. Most messaging services that use your phone number, such as WhatsApp, confirm your account by sending a text message to your phone. Setting up Viber is a snap on Android: Just enter your phone number and a user name, and Viber more or less does the rest.
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