Viber, the fast-growing communications app with more than 400 million users worldwide, has launched an update to its iOS and Android apps that brings video calling to mobile.
The Viber 5.0 update allows iOS and Android users to place free video calls with other Viber users anywhere in the world. The feature works cross-platform, so users on iOS can communicate with those on Android and vice versa. Both sets of users can also send video communications to PCs.
Viber is a fierce Skype competitor, offering users the ability to communicate via voice, text, and video. In February, Rakuten, a Japan-based e-commerce company, announced it had acquired Viber for $900 million. At that time, Viber said it had 300 million users — which means meaning it has added 100 million new users in the last seven months.
In addition to adding video calls, Viber now includes QR code scanning for quickly adding contacts. On the iOS side, Viber has also included improvements to forwarding photo messages. And on Android, it has refreshed the design.