Viber is a free messaging and calling app from Rakuten that handles texts, photos, files, voice notes, voice and video calls, and public communities over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Viber is a cross-platform communication app from Rakuten that combines everyday messaging, voice calls, video calls, and community groups in a single inbox. You install it, verify your phone number, and start chatting immediately with anyone in your contacts who already uses the service, without paying for SMS. Conversations sync across phone, tablet, and desktop, so a thread started on mobile continues on a computer and an incoming call can be answered on whichever device is closest at hand. Alongside person-to-person chats, the app supports large groups, public communities, media and file sharing, and low-cost calls to ordinary phone numbers through Viber Out. For anyone messaging family, friends, or colleagues across borders, it replaces several separate tools with one encrypted hub.
Where Viber stands apart is its mix of free app-to-app communication and paid calling to ordinary landlines and mobiles. Viber Out dials numbers that do not have the app installed, which matters for reaching relatives, clients, or services abroad at rates far below standard roaming charges. Privacy works by default rather than through an optional toggle: chats, group messages, media, and calls are protected with end-to-end encryption, and Trusted Contacts lets you confirm a contact's identity by comparing security keys. Business accounts can send receipts, shipping updates, and support replies inside the same conversation thread. If your circle already uses WeChat, running both apps side by side keeps your existing groups while adding international calling and large public communities.
The clearest benefit is cost: messaging, voice calls, and video calls between users cost nothing beyond an internet connection, so long-distance conversations stop being a budget decision. Dialling landlines and mobiles abroad through Viber Out is cheaper than typical carrier rates, and keeping chats, calls, media, and communities in one place means fewer apps to check and fewer contact lists to maintain. Encryption applied by default protects ordinary conversations without any configuration, while disappearing messages, editable sent messages, and Trusted Contacts verification let you decide how much of a trail you leave. Cross-device syncing keeps you reachable whether you are at a desk or on the move, and screen sharing from desktop makes a quick explanation easier than typing it out. For households and small teams spread across countries, that combination — free everyday communication, affordable calls to phones that lack the app, and large communities — solves the practical problem of staying close without paying per minute.
Send text messages, photos, videos, documents, and voice notes to other Viber users without spending SMS credits, because conversations travel over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Instant video messages and voice recordings let you explain something faster than typing, and the shared media gallery keeps files from a conversation easy to find later.
Core communication on the platform — one-to-one messages, group messages, shared media, and calls — is protected with end-to-end encryption by default, so encryption keys stay on the participating devices. Trusted Contacts adds a verification layer: exchange secret keys with someone once, and you are warned if their contact details change afterwards, which helps expose impersonation attempts before sensitive information gets shared.
Viber Out is a paid calling service that reaches landlines and mobile numbers even when the person on the other end does not use the app. You top up an account or buy a subscription, then dial international numbers at rates typically well below standard carrier charges. It suits contacting a relative's home phone, a hotel reception, or a business abroad.
Communities turn the app into a public space: create or join a topic-based group with unlimited members, assign admin roles, and post announcements to everyone at once. Group chats and group calls cover private circles such as family, classes, or project teams. Both share the same media, sticker, and reply tools, so switching between a small chat and a large audience feels consistent.
Your account works on phone, tablet, and desktop at the same time, and chats stay synchronized across all of them, so a message you read on a laptop no longer shows as unread on your phone. Calls can be moved between devices mid-conversation, and desktop users can share their screen during video calls, which helps when walking someone through a document or a settings screen.
Set a self-destruct timer on a chat and messages vanish from every participant's device once the time runs out. Viber also lets you edit or delete a message that was already sent and read, removing it from the conversation for everyone involved. These controls suit people who send a photo by mistake or want a short-lived conversation to leave no lasting record.
A large sticker market covers humour, holidays, and regional characters, and you can build custom sticker packs from your own photos or artwork. GIF search, emoji reactions, and quick replies handle the moments when a picture or a single tap says more than a paragraph. All of these tools are available without any extra purchase.
Verified business accounts can send order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders, and customer support replies straight into the messaging thread a customer already uses. Messages can carry buttons, images, and links, so someone can track a parcel or reschedule a booking without opening a separate app. Purchase-related conversations then sit alongside personal chats instead of in an email inbox.
Yes — messaging, voice calls, and video calls between people who use the app cost nothing beyond an internet connection. Paid options exist for calling regular landlines and mobile numbers without the app, and for business messaging, but ordinary chats stay free.
A phone number is used to register and verify the account, and it also helps contacts find you. The account is then tied to the devices you authorize, so you can sign in on desktop or tablet and keep the same conversations.
Yes. End-to-end encryption covers one-to-one messages, group messages, shared media, and calls, and it is on by default rather than an opt-in setting. Keys are held on users' devices, so the service itself cannot read the content.
Yes, through Viber Out. You buy credit or a subscription and dial the number as usual; the person receiving the call answers on their regular phone and never needs to install anything.
The delete option removes it from the conversation on every participant's device, including for people who already saw it. Messages can also be edited after sending, and a disappearing-message timer clears them automatically after a set period.
Yes. Chats sync across mobile, tablet, and desktop, and an ongoing call can be answered on or moved to another device. Desktop video calls also support screen sharing, which makes the app usable for work as well as personal messaging.
Comments