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Viber iOS Update Adds Secret Messages, Rich Notifications, and Instant Video Features

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Popular messaging app Viber has received an update that brings a number of new features to the platform, including the ability to send Secret Messages.

Users are now able to specify how long photos, videos, and chat messages can be accessed for after being viewed by the recipient. The time limit options for viewing a Secret Message are 1, 3, 7, and 10 seconds.

Viber has also added the ability to send media as files, so users can send photos and videos in their original size and quality. In addition Viber now supports rich notifications on iOS 10, meaning users can see the contents of messages on the notifications screen or in another app.


Lastly, Viber now offers instant video messaging. Users simply tap and hold the instant video icon, and they can capture and send videos lasting up to 30 seconds.

Viber is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Viber iOS Update Adds Secret Messages, Rich Notifications, and Instant Video Features
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/03/viber-ios-update-secret-messages/
gigapocket1 said:
How is this app popular?? I don't if anybody that uses it.
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Viber was bought in 2014 by Japanese internet company Rakuten, the owner of online retailer Play.com. The Tel Aviv-based messaging service had over 800 million active downloads at the last count.
 
MacRumors said:



serveimage-e1486123372633-250x246.jpeg
Popular messaging app Viber has received an update that brings a number of new features to the platform, including the ability to send Secret Messages.

Users are now able to specify how long photos, videos, and chat messages can be accessed for after being viewed by the recipient. The time limit options for viewing a Secret Message are 1, 3, 7, and 10 seconds.

Viber has also added the ability to send media as files, so users can send photos and videos in their original size and quality. In addition Viber now supports rich notifications on iOS 10, meaning users can see the contents of messages on the notifications screen or in another app.


Lastly, Viber now offers instant video messaging. Users simply tap and hold the instant video icon, and they can capture and send videos lasting up to 30 seconds.

Viber is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Viber iOS Update Adds Secret Messages, Rich Notifications, and Instant Video Features
Click to expand...
Apple needs to release Messages for other platforms. It's time to put an end to the nonsense of all these half baked cross platform messaging systems. How many popular different messaging apps do I need to install just to message? It's craziness!

Messages for Android, Windows, etc, now! It makes sense more than ever since Message now has it's own App Store.
 
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smacrumon said:
Apple needs to release Messages for other platforms. It's time to put an end to the nonsense of all these half baked cross platform messaging systems. How many popular different messaging apps do I need to install just to message? It's craziness!

Messages for Android, Windows, etc, now! It makes sense more than ever since Message now has it's own App Store.
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Its an advantage for apple so they arent releasing onto android.. yet atleast.
 
gigapocket1 said:
How is this app popular?? I don't if anybody that uses it.
Click to expand...

I travel abroad a lot, and I have T-Mobile which you may know offers free text and data in 150+ countries, and calls are $0.20/minute. The throttled data is fast enough where I can talk to people over WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, FaceTime audio, and Viber for free.

However, let's say I want to call someone who doesn't have a smartphone (such as my grandpa who only has a landline) I can call any number for $0.02/minute or if I want to call a 800 number (which I often do for my bank) it's free. I added $10 credit to Viber a couple years ago and I still have some credit left. Best part is when I call someone on their caller ID it shows up as my actual phone number so they're not getting charged for long distance or anything.

It is useful.
 
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Zaft said:
Its an advantage for apple so they arent releasing onto android.. yet atleast.
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Nah, give people a "taste" of the iOS experience! That's the advantage. I do wonder how this is measured though.
 
smacrumon said:
Nah, give people a "taste" of the iOS experience! That's the advantage. I do wonder how this is measured though.
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Walt Mossberg actually asked an apple exec about this and he said.

“First, he said, Apple considers its own user base of 1 billion active devices to provide a large enough data set for any possible AI learning the company is working on. And, second, having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would help sales of those devices"
 
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I never understood why so many messaging apps still exist while they do mainly the same thing. Even ICQ is on the App Store!!

My only guess its region dominant, meaning Viber is popular in west Asia, WhatsApp popular in the Middle East, Telegram in South America...etc

Skype's angle was to contact people worldwide for a very low fee VoIP, but its not 2005 any more and many apps do that now so I wonder what happened with them.
 
MacBH928 said:
I never understood why so many messaging apps still exist while they do mainly the same thing. Even ICQ is on the App Store!!

My only guess its region dominant, meaning Viber is popular in west Asia, WhatsApp popular in the Middle East, Telegram in South America...etc

Skype's angle was to contact people worldwide for a very low fee VoIP, but its not 2005 any more and many apps do that now so I wonder what happened with them.
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Probably more or less along the lines of similar concepts when it comes to many other things in life, like hundreds of different manufacturers and models of cars that are very similar in most respects, or TVs, or toasters, etc., etc., etc.
 
I travel internationally for work. Thankfully most of the time my wife and kids get to travel with me. Many of our family, friends and work contacts have other devices besides iPhones. Viber being cross platform is perfect for us. If Apple would release iMessages cross platform then we would no longer need Viber.
 
RevTEG said:
I travel internationally for work. Thankfully most of the time my wife and kids get to travel with me. Many of our family, friends and work contacts have other devices besides iPhones. Viber being cross platform is perfect for us. If Apple would release iMessages cross platform then we would no longer need Viber.
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There is this amazing open protocol called email. Cross platform too....
 
C DM said:
Which isn't as immediate often enough nor does it support live audio or video conversations.
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Email is instant.
Skype provides live video and audio.

Let us know what new value this viber adds.
 
Osamede said:
Email is instant.
Skype provides live video and audio.

Let us know what new value this viber adds.
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More or less the same thing as Skype, simply different based on what people choose. Just like there are many TVs out there that essentially do the same thing, or car models, or many other things in life. And while email is almost instant in many cases, it isn't so in many other cases--more so than a messenger.
 
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C DM said:
More or less the same thing as Skype, simply different based on what people choose. Just like there are many TVs out there that essentially do the same thing, or car models, or many other things in life. And while email is almost instant in many cases, it isn't so in many other cases--more so than a messenger.
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I have never had email NOT show up. And IT is basicslly instant.

I guess soneone needs to privatise it, balkanize it, add mandatory data-mining and rebrand it "InstaMessage".....
 
Osamede said:
I have never had email NOT show up. And IT is basicslly instant.

I guess soneone needs to privatise it, balkanize it, add mandatory data-mining and rebrand it "InstaMessage".....
Click to expand...
Simply multiple choices for same thing that people choose as they do practically with everything else in life and have been doing for ages.
 
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C DM said:
Simply multiple choices for same thing that people choose as they do practically with everything else in life and have been doing for ages.
Click to expand...

"Redundant" is the key term.

"Data grab" is the other.
 
Osamede said:
There is this amazing open protocol called email. Cross platform too....
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I guess you don't use iMessage or send text messages from you phone? You only email everyone? Your comment makes zero sense, but thanks for sharing. I find it interesting that you don't see the adavantages and differences between texting/calling someone verses emailing them.

I understand there are many options out there besides Viber, it just happens to be the app that my contacts have incorparated over the last five or so years. I'm not asking them to change just so I can try out a different app.
 
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