VoIP

Viber gains improved spam handling and reporting in latest iPhone update

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 25, 2015

Viber for iPhone was refreshed this morning in the App Store with improved spam handling. I've noticed an increase of spam messages on Viber lately as I've been regularly getting spam messages from seemingly random people telling me I've won a free iPhone or some fishy contest prize.

While Viber offers the ability to block unwanted contacts from messaging you, this update should help sort out the influx of spam on the service.

No other changes are mentioned for Viber 5.5.1, a free download from the App Store.

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WhatsApp for iPhone receives a dozen new features in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Not to be outdone by rival Viber which rolled out animated stickers, location sharing, a brand new keypad and other enhancements in yesterday's refresh, Facebook-owned WhatsApp today pushed a substantial update to its App Store application.

WhatsApp for iPhone now features richer notifications settings with per-chat rules and mute options, a new swipe gesture to mark chats as read or unread, the ability to directly share contacts from the Contacts app and locations from Apple Maps, backups for your videos and much more.

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Viber for iOS gains link previews, animated stickers, easier video calling, better compression & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 4, 2015

Viber, the third most popular messaging platform after Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp (owned by Facebook) today delivered a few new features to its iPhone and iPad application in the App Store.

The new Viber 5.5 for iOS now includes rich link previews in the chat window, has the ability to exchange contact information via messages (in addition to QR codes), introduces animated stickers, permits easier video calling directly from a contact's profile or the recent calls list and more.

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You can now chat while on a call, add contacts via QR codes and more in latest Viber update

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 4, 2015

Viber, the popular VoIP and messaging platform owned by Japan's Rakuten, hasn't updated its iPhone app in any meaningful way for a while now. And just when you thought they've neglected the iOS app for good, here comes a brand new release packing a few solid improvements.

I've always hated Viber wouldn't let me chat while on a VoIP or video call. This should be expected behavior as iPhones have always supported messaging during a cellular call.

In latest Viber 5.4 for iPhone update it's now possible to minimize a VoIP call and open any other screen within the app without interrupting your conversation.

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Free video calling in Facebook Messenger rolling out to all users worldwide

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

Facebook confirmed today that free video calling in its mobile Messenger application has begun rolling out to all users worldwide. The feature launched in select markets on April 27, 2015.

“Quick update on video calling in Messenger: we're happy to share we've now rolled out the capability globally, with the exception of a few countries we're still working on improving quality for,” David Marcus, Messaging at Facebook, wrote in a post on Facebook this morning.

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WhatsApp for iPhone rolling out VoIP calling, gains iOS 8 share extension and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 31, 2023

Following months of promises and multiple delays, Facebook-owned WhatsApp, which commands more than 800 million active users worldwide, on Tuesday started rolling a voice calling feature in its iPhone application.

WhatsApp Calling is a staggered release and will be rolling out “slowly over the next several weeks,” the company said, meaning it may not be available for you immediately.

In addition to calling other people for free over Wi-Fi networks, regardless of where they may live, the app has gained other enhancements, too, starting with a much welcomed app extension on iPhones running iOS 8. Sadly enough, this update hasn't brought out support for iOS 8's Interactive Notifications.

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Glide becomes first app to bring one-way video calling to Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2015

Glide for iPhone has been updated on the App Store today with Apple Watch support, becoming the first app to bring one-way real-time video messaging to the wrist-worn gizmo. The app lets you see a preview of video messages up to five minutes long on your wrist and respond straight from your Apple Watch.

Other features include getting quick updates to the Watch when friends send you videos, texts or photos without needing to take out your iPhone, accessing all chats and missed events and more.

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How to get WhatsApp voice calling on your jailbroken iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated July 22, 2017

If you're jailbroken, and have a little patience, you can get WhatsApp's new in-beta voice calling feature on your iPhone right now. To do so, you'll need to download the WhatsApp beta, download a package from Cydia, and following a couple of additional steps.

After following this tutorial, you will be able to access voice calling in WhatsApp. I can personally verify that this technique works, and was able to shoot a video walkthrough showing you the steps along with a live phone call.

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Viber introduces support for Viber Games, adds Sticker Menu

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 15, 2014

Viber, the popular messaging platform second only to WhatsApp, today refreshed its iOS application with support for downloadable mobile games while introducing a new Sticker Menu to make finding sticker packs easier.

Viber Games, the headline new feature in Viber 5.2 for iOS and Android, allows users to play select mobile games with Viber characters Violet and Legcat and see how many coins they can earn.

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Viber rolls out Public Chats with the ability to ‘like’ messages, photos, videos, links and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 20, 2017

After receiving an iOS 8 focused update earlier this month bringing a nice Share menu extension, Interactive Notifications and other improvements, Viber on Tuesday pushed a small update adding the Public Chats feature.

With Public Chats, Viber users can finally follow group conversations for specific topics that they’re into. Once you start following a group chat, you can then like any piece of content in the group chat, including messages, photos, videos, links and more.

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Viber updated with iOS 8 Share extension, Interactive Notifications and other improvements

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2014

Although it's been losing ground to rival WhatsApp, which recently passed 600 million registered users, Viber very much remains the second-most popular instant messaging and VoIP solution on mobile.

Following WhatsApp's most recent half-baked update which brought out support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen but no iOS 8-specific features, Viber on Monday refreshed its iOS app for headline iOS 8 features.

You now have Interactive Notifications for easy interactions with Viber alerts and a brand new Share extension making it easy to send content from other apps directly to Viber.

Also new in this update: the unavoidable bug fixes, stability fixes and performance improvements, plus some design changes and other nice-to-haves to provide a more intuitive experience.

Viber is available free of charge in the App Store.

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