Viber – How to Hide Your Status on Android?

Viber is a free calling app that was once touted as the only app that could kill Skype.

In fact, until date, Viber gives tough competition to every other free calling or messaging app available for download. The community of Viber users is constantly growing, and there is a lot that you can do with it. Use it for texting, sending stickers, images, videos, and making free calls. The best thing about Viber is that you do not have to be online all the time, the app keeps running in the background and you will keep getting your messages and calls even if you do not sign into your account every day.

How Viber Works

Viber has a very simple way of functioning. Once you have signed up for Viber and confirmed your phone number, you will be able to start using it immediately. Viber automatically accesses your phone book and gives you access to all your contacts who have Viber, and even those who do not. You can connect with your Viber friends through free calls and messages, but those of your friends who do not have Viber, can also be reached out to using the ‘Viber Out’ service. Your friends will be able to see you online, if you are connected to Viber.

How to Hide Your Status

While you are online status should not be much of a privacy issue, if you are a stickler for privacy, there are ways you can turn your online status off. All you really have to do is to open your app and click on the menu option. Once there, select ‘more options’. You will be taken to a fresh set of options including settings. Click on the settings tab and find the option for “Display My Online Status.” If the option is turned on, your online status will be visible to all your friends on your contact list. You can turn that option off to keep your status hidden. You can change this option once in 24 hours.

Limitations

This trick only works on Android mobiles as of now. The latest version of Viber has brought forth this update for those who do not want to be seen online on their Viber account. While this trick can discourage people from sending you unsolicited messages, thinking you are offline, it would still allow them to send you messages, should they not get discouraged. Even if you have removed your online status, you still do remain online and can keep getting all the messages you.

Advantages

While you do remain online on Viber, even after hiding your online status, your contacts will not be able to see whether you have seen a message. Right now, Viber allows people to know when the other user has seen their text messages, but with this option, this status is also hidden. So you would not be obligated to reply to every message even when you do not want to. This can be a great advantage to those who are screening their messages, or those who want some privacy.

No WhatsApp? Open Windows to Skype, Viber, Line

What happens when something you have become habituated to is suddenly taken away? Unfortunately, Windows Phone users may now have the answer, with WhatsApp having been yanked from the Windows Phone app store—arguably, the world’s most popular instant messenger client—this weekend. The development has been blamed on “technical issues” with how the app interacted with the Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 OS.

The indications were there

This development is no surprise though, since a glance through some of the user feedback on WhatsApp’s listing page on the Windows Phone store does indicate a history of performance and compatibility issues with devices. “Horrible battery life and lots of bugs, please fix,” says one user, while another specifically pinpoints one of the issues, “Please update!!!!!! iOS and Android are way better!!!! With 8.1 notifications are not working.” Neither user mentions which particular Windows Phone device they are facing issues on, though.

Last week, WhatsApp users globally faced delays in sending and receiving messages, though the problem was not limited to a particular platform.

No app is better than a crippled app?

Microsoft and Facebook are said to be working on sorting out the issues that have plagued the Windows Phone version of the Instant Messenger. Some reports indicate that it could actually be Facebook’s reluctance to offer a crippled app, which might turn people away from the service, that saw the app getting unpublished temporarily. Facebook, on its part, is desperately looking for a strong foothold in the Instant Messenger ecosystem, which was the main reason behind the WhatsApp acquisition. It can ill-afford to have people turn away from the service for good.

But for Windows Phone users who are unable to download the app, and in some cases unable to use an already downloaded version, there is little consolation. Or is there?

The alternatives

There are alternatives you can consider switching to, and at least stay in touch with your friends. For your convenience, we have provided download links from the Windows Phone app store to get you started. All the apps featured here are free to download and use (unless you wish to use extra features like calling credits). But you’ll have to convince your friends to download these on their smartphones too.

Skype

Download: Windows Phone Store

Perhaps the default name that comes to mind for video calls, Skype is also very competent when it comes to text-based instant messaging. Unless you live in Iran, of course! It integrates well with all Windows Phone versions—8.1, 8 and 7.5—but critically, chances are that your friends too will have this app on their iPhone, Android device, BlackBerry and Nokia X phones. This compatibility with all popular smartphone platforms means this is perhaps the best alternative. The ability to make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls (across all devices) might just end up saving you some money on phone bills. Perhaps the only stumbling block is that a user needs to sign up for a Microsoft account to use the app—some of your lazy friends may throw up a red flag at this point.

Viber

Download: Windows Phone Store

A very good second option to Skype, Viber does pretty much the same stuff. But some things are just simpler. Straight off, the set-up is simple because you don’t really need to create an ID and fill out a long sign-up form. Your phone number automatically becomes your ID, after the one-time auto verification, and all contacts using Viber are added automatically from your contacts list. You can do text chats, complete with stickers and emoticons, as well as share photos, videos and location. Voice calls are free when you call other Viber users, and it works well on Wi-Fi or 3G. Viber is available for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Samsung’s Bada and Nokia Symbian smartphones. Chances are, you won’t have to spend too much time convincing your friends about the benefits of downloading this app.

Line

Download: Windows Phone Store

Perhaps not in the WhatsApp league yet, but Line has more than 430 million users globally, and is certainly getting there. Within chats, users are allowed to share videos, photos, voice messages and location. Line was one of the first apps that introduced the concept of stickers to add some fun element to your conversation. It is also one of the first apps that introduced the concept of an app and games ecosystem within the app, for the Android and iOS versions. The latest version of Line messenger for Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 allows users to make and receive voice calls as well, over Wi-Fi and 3G. Your friends on Android, iOS, BlackBerry and even Nokia Asha phones can download this app without much effort.

Viber can now be even more SECURE!!

A week ago, a group of researchers from the Cyber Forensics Research & Education Group at the University of New Haven found out that Viber was not encrypting the images and videos exchanged through it, and all this data was stored in its unencrypted form on the Viber servers.

This has been a major cause of concern for a lot of people who use Viber regularly, and Viber faced heavy criticism from a lot of different agencies and watchdogs. Finally, Viber has decided to patch its security system and create encryption to protect user data.

The Viber Vulnerabilities

The biggest vulnerability that Viber users faced was that the application was not encrypting any of the data transmitted through it. This meant that everything that passed through the app could be accessed by anyone having the right technical know-how. If anyone intercepted the data stored in Viber’s servers, they would not have any problem accessing it because all of the data is stored unencrypted. Since a lot of users use Viber to send text messages, stickers, images and videos, this is a major security vulnerability and people’s important information could be at risk.

The Security Update

After the news initially came out, Viber was quick to announce an impending security update that would step up data encryption and would allow users to transmit information without the fear of having it fall into the wrong hands. The new security update is directed at encrypting and protecting all important user data and information, including images and videos exchanged on the Viber platform. Previously, Viber only encrypted the text messages, but excluded other important information such as phone numbers and other contact information. With this new update, all the previously unencrypted information will also be protected and stored securely.

Recent Developments

So far, this security update on Viber is only available to Android users. Due to the larger number of users on Android, Viber has decided to release the update for Android first, giving a larger security cover to a majority of its users. Though Viber is still working on an update for iOS users as well, it is believed that a similar update would soon be released for them as well. Apart from the improved security, the update also improves the way images, video messages and location data of users is handled. The company has released a statement that not a single user has so far been affected due to the security loophole. However, since the vulnerability is real, and so is the threat to user data, Viber has decided to opt in for tighter and stricter security measures on the various platforms where its software app is used. It is believed that Viber would be leading a slew of security measures that some of the other similar messaging app developers such as Skype and WhatsApp, would be taking up in the near future. With the incidences of identity fraud and identity theft on the rise, and security becoming a major challenge, it is important for applications to keep up to date on security measures

Your Viber Free Download May Soon Be As Secure As a Messaging App Can Be

Viber has added encryption measures to its messaging app for Android and iOS so that network eavesdroppers no longer can see or tamper with unprotected images, video, and messages about a user's location.

The new Android version 4.3.1.21, released Tuesday, includes "enhancements to the way Viber handles photo, video and location messages," according to the Viber page on the Google Play app store. The iOS version of Viber remains unchanged since its April 23 release, but Viber last week said it's preparing a fix. On Wednesday, the company said the fix has been submitted to Apple.

Because images and videos are unencrypted by the earlier version of Viber, a user's private messages aren't actually private. Somebody with control over the network Viber is using can see and even modify them.

Viber

The problem isn't academic, either: New Zealand resident Dan Hawke and his friends actually saw it in action when sending images with Viber. The SecureMe software that Telecom New Zealand uses to oversee its store Wi-Fi networks stripped out images and replaced them with a "protected by SecureMe" graphic.

"The Viber application wasn't even able to notice that it had been intercepted by the hotspot, and if it was using encryption that shouldn't have been possible," said Hawke, who reported the problem to Viber on April 7.

Viber said last week: "We aren't aware of a single user who has been affected by this." Still, the company did respond to Hawke's email.

In that response, Viber also told Hawke, "Currently the only data that is encrypted are text messages. Phone numbers and contact information is not encrypted. The connection that is made when a caller places a call is encrypted, but the call itself (that is, the audio data) is not encrypted. We are currently developing an end-to-end secure call feature that will encrypt all calls."

Today, though, Viber said the customer service rep wasn't totally right. "Text messaging has always been encrypted and media files are encrypted on Android and will be encrypted on other platforms as well. Voice communication is scrambled, and call establishment is encrypted. User data such as contact info and phone numbers are saved in a secure manner, despite any mistaken information that was given by a support representative. Contact info and phone numbers have been encrypted since day one."

The earlier unencrypted approach meant Telecom New Zealand can scan its network use and remove the images. "If an in-store user attempts to access a website, download content, send or receive certain content types, or use a service that is not approved for access, the SecureMe device content filter will block the request and display an access denied message with the 'protected by SecureMe' splash page," company spokesman Richard Llewellyn said.

Researchers from the University of New Haven's Cyber Forensics Research & Education Group publiclydemonstrated Viber's open transmission of the data April 23, a week after they also showed a similar but more limited weakness with a Viber messaging competitor, WhatsApp.

Although Viber is fixing the app, a related problem apparently remains: at least some of the unencrypted image and video data still is publicly available on Viber's Amazon Web Services repository. The researchers obtained the server location information by monitoring the Viber app's network activity, and CNET verified that the examples files they located are still there on April 30.

"Data is stored on the Viber Amazon Servers in an unencrypted format," the researchers said, and it's not deleted immediately. It also "can be easily accessed without any authentication mechanism."

Viber Free Download – One of World’s Best Chatting Apps

Rated as world’s best messaging application of 2013, Viber is competitively fighting for the top place this year as well, having very serious opponents like WhatsApp and Skype.

Compatible with every phone platform, Viber makes chatting simpler and cheaper, bringing a number of impressive features to the table and offering all users a wide number of opportunities, too. With a clear and simple interface, Viber is definitely one of those applications that deserve top ratings and appreciation at the same time. This article will break down some of the information and take a look at each in turn.

Features and Specifications

When it comes to listing the features of Viber, there are definitely many things to say about this amazing application. First, it will enable you to successfully message anyone for free, also allowing you to make free calls to other Viber users, too. However, you will need to pay additional fees if attempting to call someone outside of the Viber network, which will depend on the carrier that you are using. What makes this app stand out among others is the list of emoticons available for use, which are more animated compared to those on WhatsApp.

Another important feature of Viber is its group chat capabilities, which can support up to 40 participants, compared to WhatsApp’s maximum of 30 participants. This application also supports video and image transfers, allowing users to easily share their location with other people.

Interface and Performance

One of the best aspects about using Viber application is its very simple, user-friendly interface, which will make it very easy to use for all individuals. The navbar at the bottom of the screen includes Messages, Recents, Contacts, Keypad and More, each of these functions showing you text correspondences, recent calls (including missed ones), contacts (both Viber and address book contacts) and allowing you to make calls to people who are not already in your contact list respectively. Furthermore, More function permits users to invite friends and adjust specific settings – for instance, turn notifications off. Viber does not integrate a status feature, though, so you will not be able to signal whether your are busy or available to talk.

As for the performance, Viber allows to seamlessly send and receive messages, providing crystal-clear phone calls and fast syncing with Facebook, too. You will be able to add contacts to Favorites if you want to be able to get in touch with people who you talk to frequently, which will make your entire experience more pleasurable for sure.

Platforms

At this time, Viber is compatible with all phone platforms, including iOS, Android, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows phones. Viber was specifically launched for iOS based devices in 2010, but later the application has been updated to run on Android. Viber for Blackberry and Windows phones has been released in 2012, which shows that the app has gradually evolved in a short time.

As one of the top messaging applications on the market, Viber is definitely an excellent option for those who want unlimited chatting options. You can make free calls, send and receive messages, add contacts to Favorites, sync with Facebook and even use a number of friendly emoticons that will make Viber more interactive and simpler, too.

VIBER takes you to #Viberacay!

MANILA, Philippines—After announcing the release of its iOS app to version 4.2, bringing a redesigned user interface for iOS 7 and is now available on Blackberry 10, Viber will keep its feet going to the islands of Boracay as loyal users will enjoy the vibe which only Viber can provide.

To enjoy the perks while staying on the island this Labor Day weekend (April 29 – May 5, 2014), send your Viber message with the hashtag (#Viberacay) to 0911-VIBERPH (8423774). FREEBIES like boat ride (from the Jetty Port to Cagban and vice versa); multicab and tricycle rides; usage of Viber Free WiFi, free Chori Burgers and access to ultimate Viber parties await!

For more details, send #Viberacay to 0911-VIBERPH (8423774) or visithttps://www.facebook.com/OfficialViberPhilippines.

Free App Comparison Review: WhatsApp vs Viber

There’s stiff competition going on in the Instant Messaging and VoIP business. There was a time when Skype dominated all competition, but that time is long gone. New apps have emerged and have been gaining popularity, and the two that stand out easily are WhatsApp and Viber. The two are similar and different at the same time, so let’s determine their pros, cons and decide which one is ultimately better.

Which is More Accessible?

Considering the range of OS on both there’s going to be a widely accessible pool of users between the two. But to answer the question outright, both are able to offer primary access to six operating systems with only a slither of a difference noticeable in-between them.

Viber is downloadable and supported throughout iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Bada and Nokia.  Whereas the competitor, WhatsApp is almost similar with support on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Nokia S40, and Symbian. As you can see, the only two that’re interchanged are the Nokia, Nokia S40, Symbian and Bada.

S40 is Nokia’s proprietary real-time operating system for so called feature phones. It supports additional software development using Java and in the recent versions also Flash Lite. Whereas Nokia is a little more broad as an overall OS. Bada is a somewhat lesser known OS released by Samsung alongside with their Wave series in late 2009. This doesn’t relatively cling to your interest due to the fact Bada has been more-or-less overlooked since the development of Tizen in 2013. Symbian is an OS currently overtaken by Andriod since 2010, but was the most popular smartphone OS on a worldwide average until the end of its apparent acquisition.

So the ending here is an outright tie of six to six; though the flexibility of Viber in the platforms department places it a step ahead of WhatsApp in our personal opinion.

Basic Messaging and Communication Features

With an access to a stable Internet connection, WhatsApp can send texts, photos, video clips, your location data (which’ll open up on Google Maps), audio clips and register one friend’s contact to another available friend via WhatsApp. At the moment, however, the big deal with WhatsApp is the fact it doesn’t support voice chat. We can assume that the Facebook acquisition of WhatsApp will lead into the possibility of making free voice calls on it.

Viber, on the other hand, already has its hand in accessible voice chat. In fact you can use 3G or Wi-Fi on top of being able to send texts,photos, videos and location data. With the most recent update of Viber Desktop, you can even make calls to any available friend on your desktop or laptop. Considering you’ve downloaded the software, it’ll allow you to effortlessly move between your smartphone and desktop depending on your location and preference. So, needless to say that Viber has kicked WhatsApp to the curb on that round-about.

Another plus in Viber’s favor is the ability to host over 100 contacts into one group chat. At the moment, WhatsApp is reported at 50 members per group chat. Though, that number is expected to rise. WhatsApp also has said that you can have 50 of these groups if you so desire. But the quantity doesn’t help when you’ll need instant access to 51+ members in your cohesive group.

Privacy, Security, and Compiling Contacts

Both WhatsApp and Viber require a valid phone number in order to integrate into the actual app. Both will also ask if you’d like to search through your smartphone’s contacts in order to integrate those into your Viber/WhatsApp contact list. Think of it more like a “pending” contact request when you sign in for the very first time. Viber is a little more evident about adding people from your smartphone’s registered contacts whereas WhatsApp will ask you outright. Whether or not you’re particularly interested in intertwining these will probably weigh in one or the other’s favor. I’ve known people who’re looking to avoid, as well as maintain the array of people that’ve collected on their contacts page.

On WhatsApp you can block contacts by going to Settings > Chat Settings > Blocked. This will ensure that you’ll be free of receiving any form of messages or alerts from them. You can also limit who is able to see you online by going turning the feature off at Settings > Chat Settings > Advanced. So even if you’re not too thrilled with having an integrated list, there are ways to manage it.

Keep in mind that WhatsApp only works on one mobile device. If you switch phones, swap numbers; you’ll be going through the process all over again. But it is a necessary evil to endure in order to reassure your long-term privacy.

Viber is a lot like WhatsApp in that discretion; but since Viber instantaneously will sync your contacts to your Viber account, the program is rather “open” in a sense. It’ll allow people who have your contact number or information to glance at your name and know if you’re online or the last moment you were available online. You can turn this feature off by going under More > Settings > Online Status. It’ll also use Google Analytics to track your personal information like IP Addresses, data storage, and the maintenance services. If you’re uncomfortable with that, you can also turn off this feature at More > Settings > Collect Data.

Popularity and Price

Chances are that while Viber has more support on more platforms, leaving WhatsApp as only a basic messaging app that works for smartphones (and a paid service at that) more people are still using WhatsApp over Viber. If you take a second to ask your friends, there’s probably a significant fraction of them that’re keen on using WhatsApp. Most of them probably are using the service due to its affiliation to Facebook, if that’s the case. Or it could be another personal preference. Fact of the matter is, yes more people do use WhatsApp, but the folks at Viber is beginning to close that distance.

WhatsApp is going to cost you .99 to maintain. At the moment, the initial download is free, for a year. But after that year is up, you’re going to have to make due with some in-app purchases in order to keep the program going on your smartphone. Viber is free, although it does offer in-app purchases as well.

In Conclusion 

In this reviewer’s opinion, you’d be far better off sticking with Viber then WhatsApp. Both are uncanny in resemblance at times, but the line of similarities end when we get to price and overall usefulness of the app itself. If you’re planning on using a messenger app on multiple platforms, in multiple areas; then Viber is going to be your best bet. Individuals who are looking forward to messaging their friends while on their desktop or laptop will absolutely adore the aptitude of Viber over WhatsApp.

There’s also the big question of when exactly that WhatsApp will be granted access to voice chat. Until that goes through, Viber is the unparalleled champion in that realm as well. Considering the app managed to offer voice chat upon launch, and WhatsApp is still lagging behind to get it set up.

While we are uncertain of the future, there is an assumption that due to the amassed individuals whom are still using WhatsApp that it’ll maintain its dominance over the industry. But what good is an app that requires eventual in-app purchases that your friends might not want to pay? In the end, there’s a good chance you (and your friends) will be seeking an alternate method. One such option is to make the transition to Viber.

But that fate will ultimately be in the user’s hands.

What is your favorite messenger?

Viber Call Quality

Viber is a VoIP tool that is gaining popularity and is reaching its hundred million users. It doesn’t offer a lot of functions, but there are two that take it out of the lot: it allows you to communicate using VoIP for free bypassing your mobile carrier, but while using your GSM phone number, and it allows group messaging. It works on Wi-Fi and 3G. On the down side, free calls and text messages are only possible to Viber users, that is there is no possibility to make (even paid) calls to landline and other phone numbers, and the app is not available for platforms other than Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

Pros

No need to register, use your mobile phone number.
Unlimited free calls and text messages to other Viber users.
Group text messages.
Huge user base.
Cons

No calling and messaging to non-Viber users.
Not available for most phone models including Nokia, Symbian etc.
Reduced quality with low Wi-Fi or 3G signals.
Review

Viber is getting famous as it makes things free between peers. You have a set of friends that use Android, iOS (iPhone, iPad), BlackBerry or the latest Windows Phone, you get them to install Viber on their devices and register their phone numbers – you are set to make ever free calls and group messaging among yourselves. This applies even if some of your correspondents are abroad, because it used only the Internet to channel its calls and messages.

The first thing that I found interesting is that you do not need to register or sign in when using the service. Once you download the app to your device, you are asked to enter your phone number and you are given an access code through SMS, which you type in on activation. You are then identified through your mobile phone number on the huge user-base of Viber.

Group messaging is another thing that I found interesting, but many other apps have preceded Viber in this. The app allows you to select and add contacts from your address book for participation.

The app integrates your phone’s address book and each time you decide to make a call or send a text message to a contact, you are prompted to either place a regular call (or SMS) through your mobile carrier to the contact or to make the call or send the message using Viber. Before initiating anything in the event Viber is selected, the number is verified to see if it is registered with Viber, as free service is allowed only to those.

The app isn’t very heavy on resources and installs quite quickly. It is simple to use. It runs in the background (if you allow it to do so of course) taking advantage of the multitasking possibility of new smartphones. Viber also allows you to post and send photos and map locations.

A word about connectivity. Viber does not use your GSM architecture and service to channel the calls and messages. You need to have Internet connection through either Wi-Fi or 3G. Things will remain free if you use Wi-Fi, with chances of maintained good call quality, but you will then be terribly limited in mobility. When you use 3G on the move, take into consideration that you would be paying for each megabyte of data used on your data plan. Some of you, in some regions and with certain operators, might find that the service is blocked because apps and services like this stand as serious threats for mobile carriers.

You have a Nokia or a Symbian phone? Viber isn’t for you. Maybe because these don’t really have a future. Viber has good apps for Android and iOS. While the list of supported Android devices is quite long, you won’t get the app with an iPhone, for instance, whose version is earlier than 3GS. The BlackBerry and Windows Phone apps are quite limited, and as I write this, these two do not yet have voice call support.

Read more on how to install Viber on your smartphone and get it running.