Viber is a top app in Asia, but it has yet to make a breakthrough in the West and other European markets.
The app has a user base of more than 600 million, but a large percentage of this clientele is based in Asia. The app allows users to send free messages and make free voice and video calls over the internet. Also, it takes after Skype where it allows users to purchase credits from its site and to use these credits; they can make affordable calls to phone numbers that are not registered to the platform.
In a bid to lure the younger generation to the platform, the Rakuten-owned free calling app has unveiled an in-house app that takes after American Snapchat, which has caught the eye of many youths in the country. Snapchat is a photo and video sharing app that lets users share disappearing messages, a feature that has been on the rock of the app’s massive rise to popularity.
Viber Wink is the new app that has come to compete directly with Snapchat; however, using this app has a catch. Even though it’s a standalone app, one must have the Viber app installed on the phone as well.
Why do you need Viber for Wink to work?
Well, you might be asking, if Viber Wink is a standalone app, why then should you need to install Viber for you to use it? Here is the trick.
Viber Wink uses your Viber contacts to send the disappearing chats and as such, the app must be installed for the Wink app to access these contacts. Once both apps are installed, simply snap a photo and specify the time you want the photo to last in the recipient’s device once they have received it and then send it. Regardless of the time limit set, the message will still disappear once the recipient opens and sees them.
However, as usual, there is the issue of screenshots where one can still capture the screenshot of the sent message before it disappears. To take care of this, it is advisable to go with the 1-second time limit to give recipients no chance of getting a copy of your photo.
It is also possible to send Winks direct when in Viber chats. It’s simple and normal, just like sending photos, as usual, however, once the chat is viewed and time limit expires, the sent message in the chat will be grayed out suggesting that the Wink is no longer there.
As mentioned earlier, Viber Wink is a standalone app and not a plugin. It is available for both Android and iOS users and it’s totally free.
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