It has been 10 years and even with this pandemic Viber still does what it clearly knows best -- securely connecting people, no matter who they are or where they are from.
Viber's Significant Milestones:
2010 - It all began with a simple goal, to provide free calls for iPhone users. It was originally launched as a VoIP for voice calling.
2011 - Instant Messaging was added to its features.
2014 - Viber joined Rakuten Inc., a world leader in e-commerce and financial services.
2017 - Corporate name was changed to Rakuten Viber. It was also this year when Viber became the official communication channel of FC Barcelona.
2018 - Viber introduced Communities, a group chat where you can have a billion members who you can exchange messages and engage with. Anybody can create their own community with unlimited number of members.
A decade after, Viber has become a household name with vast presence in over 190 countries evolving into a secured platform that offers a comprehensive suite of communications services such as messaging, group chats, video calls and chatbots; all protected by end-to-end encryption.
One significant part of Viber's 10-year history is when Viber decided to sever all its ties with Facebook. Having valued security as one of its core strengths, Viber ended its relationship with Facebook as it continues to mishandle Viber users' data for profit.
In 2020, even if it was the Pandemic Year, Viber marked its 10th year with significant partnerships and achievements:
- A special chatbot for the World Health Organization was formed to provide people with reliable and life-saving information about the Covid-19.
- In the Philippines, the Department of Health created its own Viber Community to intensify its online reach in order to provide updates on the Covid-19 situation in the country. This led to the creation of the KIRA chatbot to spread health and safety tips and to answer FAQs.
- The introduction of Viber group video calls. Viber reinforced its capacity in order to accommodate the high number of calls and messages within the app. Viber doubled the maximum number of participants to 20 people at once in Group video and audio calls.
- Viber launched Chatbot Payments through a partnership with Google Play and Apple Play. This will enable users to securely purchase the products and services of merchants and accept payments through the app marking its move towards fintech.
- In the Philippines, Rakuten Viber will roll out this feature through its partnership with Globe. Through the FoodPH bot, Filipinos can order and check out from small food businesses.
Viber continues to empower their users so they can do more in less time. “We have always believed in Viber’s potential as a lifetime app, as it has become a favorite tool to communicate with family and closest friends, stay on top of the latest news, contact a brand or purchase from a small business, and more,” says Djamel Agaoua, the CEO at Rakuten Viber.