Viber receives new upgrade

When it comes to the instant messaging app battle, Viber remains to be one of the top contenders, with more than 800 million users enjoying its features. With other messaging apps vying for the top spot, players are always on their toes to find ways to improve performances. In line with this, Viber has again come up with its latest feature, much to the delight of the users, one that allows inline YouTube playback.

Telegram and WhatsApp, two of the app’s main competitions, also allow YouTube playbacks, and Viber has joined the bandwagon of being able to open YouTube links. And with users being adept with multitasking these days, the latest feature added by the leading IM app came in an opportune time.

This new feature came with Viber version 6.8.2.18 which became available last month via the Google Play Store. The convenience of being able to watch a sent link via the media player without having to leave the chat box makes this update more interesting.

If you are currently chatting with another Viber user, whether on a one-on-one chat or in a group chat and someone sends a YouTube link, a thumbnail of the content will appear, along with the playback button. When tapped, the video clip will automatically play on a pop-up window. Moreover, it allows the user to view the video in full-screen mode or close it as well.

On top of this, there is also an update on the time stamp that lets you see the “last seen” status of your contacts. This status is displayed below the name of your Viber contact. To view this, simply tap on the name of your contact and the details will appear. Along with these features are also bug fixes and improvements on the performance of the app, inclusions that are part and parcel of every Viber update. This is in their bid to improve its services to gain loyalty and attract more subscribers.

With WhatsApp being used in 96 countries and Messenger popular in 53, the team behind Viber never stops to be at par with its competitors. Over the past months, there had been other updates made available for users.

Barely a couple of months ago, it released the e-commerce features. This move was part of the plan to be a one-stop-shop to cater to the needs of internet users. Today, it is now possible to book in restaurants via the app. Moreover, users will be presented with items on sale based on the conversations they have using the app. While this can be convenient for business owners using the app and for some prospective buyers, there will be those who will find this intruding and bothersome.

With the recent Viber update and the efforts by other chat apps to land in the number one spot, it’s important to have an idea on which one will work for you. To give you a head start, you can read about WhatsApp vs. Viber vs. Telegram. Meanwhile, in-app payment features are also being considered in the near feature by the Viber team.