Viber for Android - Free calls and text messages


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https://market.android.com/details?id=com.viber.voip

Viber - Be Free to Communicate. Call and text anyone, anywhere.

Viber is an Android* and iPhone application that lets you make free phone calls and send free text messages to other users that have Viber installed. When you use Viber, your phone calls to any other Viber user are free, and the sound quality is much better than a regular call. You can call any Viber user, anywhere in the world, for free and now also text them. All Viber features are 100% FREE and do not require any additional ?in application? purchase.

How is this any different than Skype, which is already available for all smartphones and has a much larger userbase? But of course, text messages cost money with Skype, but there is gmail/gvoice for that.

  • 1 year later...

Apart from the thread resurrection, I did try this a long time ago and it was mediocre, at best (battery drained quickly). I tried it again more recently and while it had improved (the battery drain issue wasn't "as bad"), it still had some way to go.

I can't complain for the price paid, however!

Edited by Raa

Apart from the thread resurrection, I did try this a long time ago and it was mediocre, at best. I tried it again more recently and while it had improved, it still had some way to go.

I can't complain for the price paid, however!

It is not a bad app at all. Can't beat the price: FREE and NO ADS!!!!!. I like it better than Whatapp. Whatapp has a habit of not sending messages sometimes. It gets stuck for some reason sometimes. Viber sends them very fast. Voice quality is not bad at all.

A family member installed it on their iPhone, and it kept draining the battery pretty quickly. In the end, I uninstalled it.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

The iPhone battery is less than stellar dude. iPhones are well known for draining that battery for nothing. I used to have one and gave it up. I have had Viber installed on my Note 2 and so far, so good.

Do you have to add contacts and do others have to have the same app?

Or do you connect to other networks like Facebook, Skype, etc. etc.

Are voice calls to landlines? And text to cellphone numbers?

Didn't find much info on the site.

I guess what I'm getting at, is if it's just another messenger program that you and your contacts both have to have, then it's not much use.

Do you have to add contacts and do others have to have the same app?

Or do you connect to other networks like Facebook, Skype, etc. etc.

Are voice calls to landlines? And text to cellphone numbers?

Didn't find much info on the site.

I guess what I'm getting at, is if it's just another messenger program that you and your contacts both have to have, then it's not much use.

I will answer your questions in the order you made them:

1. Others need to have the app if you want to text them or call them and use all the features of the app

2. You can connect to Facebook and Twitter for messaging

3. Voice calls and texts are for those who have the same app

Why is it of not much use? The advantage with it, and I will give you my case as an example, my girlfriend has absolutely no cellular signal where she lives so she connects to her WIFI and we use Viber to talk and text, so it is very useful for situations like that. The texting is also better than stock messaging because its instant and it tells you when the person on the other end is typing and if they received the message or not.

It's very useful dude. Think of it as a marriage between Skype and Whatapp but without the video capabilities.

I will answer your questions in the order you made them:

1. Others need to have the app if you want to text them or call them and use all the features of the app

2. You can connect to Facebook and Twitter for messaging

3. Voice calls and texts are for those who have the same app

Why is it of not much use? The advantage with it, and I will give you my case as an example, my girlfriend has absolutely no cellular signal where she lives so she connects to her WIFI and we use Viber to talk and text, so it is very useful for situations like that. The texting is also better than stock messaging because its instant and it tells you when the person on the other end is typing and if they received the message or not.

It's very useful dude. Think of it as a marriage between Skype and Whatapp but without the video capabilities.

Thanx for the reply.

When I mean "no use", I mean that it is no use to me if Im the only one with it and no friends have it.

But as you stated, it connects with Facebook and Skype, so yeah it'd be useful then.

It's just that I find it hard trying to talk friends into trying new stuff, and unless they do, a new communications program isn't much use.

Ive been through that on computer for many many years.

Thanx for the reply.

When I mean "no use", I mean that it is no use to me if Im the only one with it and no friends have it.

But as you stated, it connects with Facebook and Skype, so yeah it'd be useful then.

It's just that I find it hard trying to talk friends into trying new stuff, and unless they do, a new communications program isn't much use.

Ive been through that on computer for many many years.

I understand, but just get them to try it. I had to convince my GF to download it and try it and she loved it more than Whatapp. So much, she deleted Whatapp for good. It doesn't hurt to try it. If you don't like it, uninstall it and be happy. Just ask your friends to give it a try. I am sure they will like it once they see what it can do.

If others have to have the app also to communicate then its not going to fly. Everybody has their favorite messaging apps and you can't force a Handscent user to use GO SMS.

No one is forcing anyone to do anything. I have tried Handcent and GO SMS and Viber is by far the best. People just need to try it I guess. GO SMS had a habit of not receiving messages and had issues sending messages too. Handcent crashed constantly. Haven't had a single issue with Viber yet. Everything works as described. 100 million users can't be wrong.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120911005071/en/Viber-Reaches-100-Million-Users-Takes-Aim

I tried Viber some time ago and finally uninstalled it for two reasons:

-Poor call quality on 3G. It was just unusable when either me or my wife were not connected to wifi.

-No group calls.

It sucks that now I've to use several apps (whatsapp for chats, hangouts for group calls, sometimes Skype for individual calls), but I didn't find Viber to be a replacement for all of those, and I don't feel like using Viber to replace one of those for the same reason I'm not using gtalk instead of whatsapp (which would make a lot more sense): I'd have to get all contacts to move over as well.

I tried Viber some time ago and finally uninstalled it for two reasons:

-Poor call quality on 3G. It was just unusable when either me or my wife were not connected to wifi.

-No group calls.

It sucks that now I've to use several apps (whatsapp for chats, hangouts for group calls, sometimes Skype for individual calls), but I didn't find Viber to be a replacement for all of those, and I don't feel like using Viber to replace one of those for the same reason I'm not using gtalk instead of whatsapp (which would make a lot more sense): I'd have to get all contacts to move over as well.

Nothing sounds good (poor call quality) over 3G dude.

Nothing sounds good (poor call quality) over 3G dude.

It obviously doesn't sound "good", but I was able to hold a convensation while Viber would just drop the call.

Then again Viber's quality was a lot better than GTalk's when both of us were on wifi, back when I tried Viber.

Now I mostly just use Hangouts' group calls and the sound quality is really good, I don't know if Viber's would still be noticeably better.

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