Viber facts for kids
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| Original author(s) | Talmon Marco Igor Magazinnik |
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| Developer(s) | Rakuten Viber (part of Rakuten Inc.) |
| Initial release | 2010 |
| Written in | C/C++/Python (desktop, using SIP and Qt frameworks), Objective-C (iOS), Java (Android) |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Instant messaging client, VoIP |
| License | Proprietary software |
Rakuten Viber, often called Viber, is a popular app that lets you send messages and make calls over the internet. It works on many different devices like phones and computers. Viber is owned by a big Japanese company called Rakuten.
You can use Viber for free. To sign up, you use your phone number. Even if your phone isn't connected to the internet, you can still use Viber on a computer. Besides sending messages, you can also share pictures, videos, and other files. Viber also has a paid service called Rakuten Viber Out, which lets you call regular phones around the world. In 2018, more than a billion people had signed up to use Viber.
Viber Media started in 2010. The company was bought by Rakuten in 2014. Since 2017, the company's name has been Rakuten Viber. It has offices in many cities around the world, including London, Paris, and Tokyo.
How Viber Started
The Beginning (2010)
Viber Media was created in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2010. The founders were Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik. They also helped start another company called iMesh. Viber Media was run from Israel but was officially registered in Cyprus.
Talmon Marco explained that Viber uses your cell phone number as your ID. This helps the app connect you quickly with your friends and family in your phone's contact list.
How Viber Started Making Money (2011)
For its first two years, Viber didn't make any money. In 2013, it started earning money. Users paid for calls using Viber Out and for fun pictures called "stickers" in the Viber store.
The company first got money from individual investors, who were friends and family of the founders. These investors put $20 million into the company. By May 2013, Viber had 120 employees.
In July 2013, Viber's support website was attacked by a group called the Syrian Electronic Army. Viber said that no private user information was taken during this attack.
Rakuten Buys Viber (2014)
On February 13, 2014, the Japanese company Rakuten announced that it had bought Viber Media for $900 million. This sale made a lot of money for the Shabtai family, who owned a big part of Viber.
In February 2017, Djamel Agaoua became the new CEO of Viber Media. The co-founder, Talmon Marco, had left the company in 2015.
In July 2017, Viber Media changed its company name to Rakuten Viber. They also introduced a new logo.
After the Purchase
In 2017, Rakuten Viber worked with the World Wildlife Fund. They wanted to help people learn about and protect wildlife.
In June 2020, the International Federation of the Red Cross started using Viber. They launched a special chatbot and community on the app. This was to help stop the spread of false information about COVID-19. The chatbot is still active and has many followers.
In 2020, Rakuten Viber also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO). They created a chatbot to share information on topics like women's health and anti-smoking campaigns.
After protests in Belarus in 2020, the company closed its office in Minsk.
In 2022, Ofir Eyal became the new CEO of Viber. He had worked at Viber since 2014, first as Vice President of Product and then as Chief Operating Officer.
In July 2022, Rakuten Viber teamed up with Rapyd. They launched a way to send money instantly between people across different countries. This feature started in Greece and Germany.
In August 2022, Mineski worked with Viber to create a platform for social mini-games within the Viber app.
In May 2022, Rakuten Viber launched a special paid service called Viber Plus. It offers extra features like special stickers, no ads, and faster customer support.
In November 2024, Rakuten Viber announced new ways to fight scams. They added better technology to find spam. They also started teaching users how to spot fake messages. Viber also worked with cybersecurity companies to improve its fraud protection.
App Security
In April 2016, Viber announced version 6.0. This update added End-to-end encryption to its service. This means that messages are scrambled so only the sender and receiver can read them. Viber said they would have outside experts check their security. In May 2016, Viber explained how their encryption works. They said it uses similar ideas to the Signal Protocol.
In 2022, Rakuten Viber won a Security Award from test.de, a tech company in Germany.
How Many People Use Viber
By December 2016, Viber had 800 million registered users. In January 2019, about 260 million people used it every month. Viber is very popular in places like the Philippines, Greece, Eastern Europe, Russia, and parts of Asia.
In December 2014, India was Viber's biggest market with 33 million users. The United States had 30 million users, Russia had 28 million, and Brazil had 18 million. Viber is especially popular in Eastern Europe. In 2016, it was the most downloaded messaging app on Android in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. It is also popular in Iraq, Libya, and Nepal.
In 2018, Viber was used by over 70% of people in the CIS and CEE regions. However, only about 15% of people in North America used it.
In 2022, Rakuten Viber reported that more people were using the app in Asia Pacific. The Philippines saw a big increase of 22%.
Russia
Viber is one of the most popular messaging apps in Russia. In January 2016, Viber had more users than WhatsApp in Russia, with about 50 million people.
In October 2023, a court in Moscow fined Viber. The court said Viber did not remove certain content that Russia considered "illegal."
On December 13, 2024, Viber was blocked in Russia by a decision from Roskomnadzor.
Ukraine
As of September 2021, Viber is the most popular messaging app in Ukraine. About 97.7% of people there use it. In 2021, 20% of all messages sent on Viber came from Ukraine. Users sent 97.5 billion messages that year.
In February 2022, Rakuten Group stopped showing ads on its Viber messaging service in Ukraine and Russia. This was in response to the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, Hiroshi Mikitani, the founder of Rakuten, donated $8.7 million to support Ukraine.
Bulgaria
More and more people in Bulgaria are using Viber. In 2021, a record 90% of people used it. The number of calls and messages sent through Viber in Bulgaria went up by 11% in 2021. This means about 530 million calls and 400 messages every second.
Greece
By the end of 2021, over 90% of people in Greece had Viber on their phones. This makes it the top messaging app in the country. In 2022, the city of Athens launched an official Viber community. This helps citizens stay updated on city events, services, and activities.
Serbia
Viber is the most used messenger app in Serbia. As of November 2021, over 90% of people in Serbia have Viber on their phone.
What Viber Can Do
Where You Can Use Viber
Viber first came out for iPhone on December 2, 2010. It was later released for BlackBerry and Windows Phone in May 2012. Then it came to Android in July 2012. By July 2012, Viber had 90 million users. It also became available on Nokia's Series 40, Symbian, and Samsung's Bada platforms.
In May 2013, Viber 3.0 was released. This version included a desktop app for Windows and macOS computers. In August 2013, a test version of Viber for Linux was released, and the final version came out in August 2014. In June 2016, a special desktop app for Windows 10 was released. The computer versions of Viber work with your phone number but can be used even if your phone isn't connected. In 2015, Viber also became available for the iPad tablet and Apple Watch smartwatch.
Viber Features
Viber first started as an app for making voice calls over the internet. On March 31, 2011, Viber 2.0 came out, which added the ability to send instant messages. In July 2012, group messaging and better voice quality were added for Android and iOS apps. Today, you can send many types of media files. These include photos, videos, GIFs, documents, audio messages, and stickers.
Stickers
In December 2012, Viber added 'stickers' to the app. These are fun images you can send in messages. In October 2013, Viber 4.0 was announced. It included a 'sticker market' where Viber sells stickers to make money.
Viber Out
Version 4.0 also added a "push-to-talk" feature, like a walkie-talkie. It also introduced Viber Out. This feature lets users call mobile and landline phones using the internet, even if the other person doesn't have the Viber app.
Voice calls were officially added for all Windows Phone 8 devices on April 2, 2013. In September 2014, Viber 5.0 was released, which added video calling.
Public Accounts, Chatbots, and Communities
In November 2016, Viber version 6.5 launched Public Accounts. These allow businesses and brands to connect with customers on the platform. The app can work with customer service software. It also offers chatbot tools for customer support.
Viber Communities, which are improved group chats, were launched in February 2018. Group calling was added in February 2019. Communities can have an unlimited number of people. In Communities, the people in charge cannot see members' phone numbers. Members can also message each other privately while keeping their numbers hidden. In October 2020, Viber added message statistics for Community leaders. This helps them see how much people are interacting with their posts.
Chatbots on the app can provide important information or even host quizzes.
In 2022, Rakuten Viber worked with Taimi, an LGBTQ+ dating app. They added a bot to Taimi that uses Viber's technology. This bot helps match users and provides information about the LGBTQ+ community.
In January 2023, the company announced new features for businesses. These include a Business Inbox, a special place for brands to talk with users. There is also a searchable Commercial Account for businesses.
In February 2023, Rakuten Viber launched its chatbot AI Chat & Create. This allows users to ask questions and create images directly in the Viber app.
In July 2023, Viber partnered with ICONIQ. This brought an AI robot friend named Kuki to users. Users can chat and interact with Kuki directly in the app.
Viber Plus
In May 2023, Viber Plus was launched around the world. It adds improvements to the app. These include access to paid stickers, the ability to change the Viber app icon, and customer service help through live chat.
In August 2023, two new Viber Plus features were released for iOS users. Invisible Mode lets users read messages and browse privately. The Read Voice Messages feature turns voice messages into text, so you can read them anytime.
Viber Payments
In April 2023, Rakuten Viber launched Viber Payments. This service allows instant money transfers between accounts. It started in Greece. Viber Payments lets users in Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Germany send money to each other easily and for free. Users can create a digital wallet in just two minutes.
Caller ID
In April 2023, Rakuten added a Caller ID feature. When turned on, it helps identify incoming calls, even those not made through Viber. It also warns you about possible spam calls.
Viber Business Accounts
In October 2023, Viber announced new tools for small and medium-sized businesses. Viber Business Accounts is a platform where businesses can create public profiles. They can share information and product catalogs directly in the app. The service also has a direct messaging feature for customer questions. Businesses can be found through the app's search, and there are special chat folders to help keep things organized.
Viber Dating
In early 2025, "Viber Dating" appeared in the mobile Viber app. It is likely designed to compete with other popular dating services.
See also
In Spanish: Viber para niños
- Comparison of cross-platform instant messaging clients
- Comparison of VoIP software
