Viber

Not to be confused with the Spanish town Viver.
Viber
Original author(s) Viber Media
Developer(s) Rakuten Inc.
Initial release December 2, 2010 (2010-12-02)
Stable release
  • Android:
    6.3.0.1702 (September 18, 2016 (2016-09-18)[1]) [±]
  • iOS:
    6.0 (April 19, 2016 (2016-04-19)[2]) [±]
  • Windows Mobile:
    4.5.4 (December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18)[3]) [±]
  • BlackBerry 10 OS:
    4.3.0.728 (April 23, 2014 (2014-04-23)[4]) [±]
Written in C/C++/Python (desktop, using SIP and Qt frameworks), Objective-C (iOS), Java (Android)
Operating system Cross-platform
Available in 30 languages[5]
Type Instant messaging client & VoIP
License Freemium
Website www.viber.com

Viber is a cross-platform instant messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) app that was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Viber Media. In addition to instant messaging, users can exchange images, video and audio media messages. The client software is available for Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS, Nokia Series 40, Symbian, Bada, macOS, and Microsoft Windows.[6] A 64-bit Linux version is available in both .deb (Debian and Ubuntu) and .rpm (Fedora and openSUSE) package formats.[7] It first requires installation on a phone in order to work on a desktop operating system environment.[8] As of February 2014, Viber had over 100 million monthly active users and 280 million registered users.[9]

History

Viber Media is based in Tel Aviv, Israel,[10] with offices in Belarus and Cyprus, founded by former chief information officer in the Israeli army, Talmon Marco,[11] along with Igor Magazinnik, Sani Maroli and Ofer Smocha, with Marco as its CEO.[12] Viber was initially launched for iPhone on December 2, 2010, in direct competition with Skype. A pre-release version for Android restricted to 50,000 users appeared in May 2011; an unrestricted version was released on July 19, 2012. Viber for BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices was launched on May 8, 2012.[13] On reaching 90 million users on July 24, 2012, group messaging service and HD Voice engine were added to both Android and iPhone applications. Applications for Nokia's Series 40,[14] Symbian[15] and Samsung's Bada platform[16] were also announced on the same day.[17]

Initially, the voice calling feature was only available for iPhone and Android applications, with a promise that voice would be added in upcoming versions for Bada, Symbian and Windows Phone applications, with no mention of either Series 40 or BlackBerry OS. The limitation seems to lie in the core of Blackberry OS and Series 40 which does not have easy support for VoIP apps.[18]

On September 22, 2012, HD quality phone calls and hold group-messaging sessions were made available for Windows Phone but only for Nokia users,[19] as part of exclusive partnership with Nokia.[20] Viber with voice was officially released for all Windows Phone 8 devices on April 2, 2013.[21]

On July 24, 2013, Viber's support system was defaced by the Syrian Electronic Army. According to Viber, no sensitive user information was accessed.[22]

In August 2013, Viber for Linux was released as a public beta[23] and in August 2014 a final version.[24] Initially, only 64-bit binaries were made available for download.

On February 13, 2014, Rakuten announced they had acquired Viber for $900 million.[25] The sale of Viber earned the Shabtai family (Benny, his brother Gilad, and Gilad's son Ofer) some $500 million from their 55.2% stake in the company.[26][27]

Security

On November 4, 2014, Viber scored 1 out of 7 points on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's "Secure Messaging Scorecard". Viber received a point for encryption during transit but lost points because communications were not encrypted with keys that the provider didn't have access to (i.e. the communications were not end-to-end encrypted), users could not verify contacts' identities, past messages were not secure if the encryption keys were stolen (i.e. the service did not provide forward secrecy), the code was not open to independent review (i.e. the code was not open-source), the security design was not properly documented, and there had not been a recent independent security audit.[28][29] On November 14, 2014, the EFF changed Viber's score to 2 out of 7 after it had received an external security audit from Ernst & Young's Advanced Security Centre.[28]

On April 19, 2016, Viber Media added end-to-end encryption to their service, but only for one-to-one and group conversations in which all participants are using the latest Viber version for Android, iOS, Desktop or Windows 10.[30][31] The company said that the encryption protocol had only been audited internally, and promised to commission external audits "in the coming weeks".[32] In May 2016, Viber published an overview of their encryption protocol, saying that it is a custom implementation that "uses the same concepts" as the Signal Protocol.[33]

Features

The actual functionality varies from platform to platform with iOS and Android being the first to receive new features. Viber includes text, picture and video messaging across all platforms, with voice calling available only to iPhone, Android and Microsoft's Windows Phone although HD voice is planned for Windows Phone 8.[34] The application's user interface includes tab bar on the bottom giving access to messages, recent calls, contact, the keypad and a button for accessing more options. Upon installation, it creates a user account using one's phone number as username. Viber synchronizes with the phone's address book, so users do not need to add contacts in a separate book. Since all users are registered with their phone number, the software returns all Viber users among one's contacts. In 2012, Viber added smileys and other graphical messaging images.

Viber is also now available on Windows and macOS.

As of December 2013, Viber officially launched Viber Out, a feature that provides users the option to call mobile and landline numbers; thus Viber users can call people not using a Viber app. Viber Out was originally released in November only to help Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines connect with their loved ones. To use the new feature, users have to visit the "More" tab and choose Viber Out. No update is needed for the feature.[35] Viber Out calls to landlines and non-Viber mobile phones around the world are charged at varying rates per minute, requiring users to buy credit.

Viber's desktop version uses TCP and UDP ports 5242, 4244, 5243, 9785, and the standard HTTP/HTTPS ports 80 and 443.[36]

Company

Viber Media is a Las Vegas and Cyprus-registered company[37][38] with its development centers in Belarus[39] and Israel.[40] The company was founded by Marco and Magazinnik, who are friends from the Israel Defense Forces.[41] The company is run from Israel, with much of its development outsourced to Belarus in order to lower labor-costs.[41] An interesting fact is that back in 2004, before the Viber.com website domain was acquired by founders, it was a home for an adult only website.[42]

Founded in 2010, Viber was co-owned by its four Israeli and Belarusian founders: Marco, Magazinnik, Maroli and Smocha, prior to the startup's $900 million sale to Rakuten. At that sale price, the founders each realized over 30 times return on their investments.[12]

Marco and Magazinnik are also co-founders of the P2P media and file-sharing client iMesh.[43]

In its first two years of availability, Viber did not generate revenues. It began doing so in 2013, via user payments for Viber Out voice calling and the Viber graphical messaging "sticker store". The company was originally funded by individual investors, described by Marco as "friends and family".[44] They invested $20 million in the company, which had 120 employees as of May 2013.[45]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Viber Media S.à r.l. (18 April 2016). "Viber - Android Apps on Google Play". Google Play. Google. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Viber Media, Inc (19 April 2016). "Viber On the App Store on iTunes". App Store. Apple. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Viber Media (2015-12-18). "Viber". Windows Phone Marketplace. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  4. ↑ Viber Media (23 April 2014). "Viber 10 - BlackBerry World". BlackBerry App World. Research In Motion (RIM). Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Supported Languages". Viber. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Viber - Frequently asked questions". www.viber.com. Viber Media. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Viber for Linux PC - Viber Desktop". Viber. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  8. ↑ WSJ Staff. "Viber Unveils Desktop App". WSJ. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  9. ↑ After Rakuten acquisition, Viber reveals it has 100 million active users. February 14, 2014. Steven Millward, Tech in Asia.
  10. ↑ Jessica Geller. Messaging app Viber names Boston its US headquarters. The Boston Globe. October 16, 2015.
  11. ↑ Henry Mance. Six things to know about Viber. Financial Times. February 14, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "אקזיט ענק: רקוטן היפנית רוכשת את וייבר תמורת כ-900 מיליון דולר". כלכליסט - www.calcalist.co.il. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Viber for BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 Now Available Archived May 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "Nokia Store: Download Viber and many other games, wallpaper, ringtones and mobile apps on your Nokia phone". Store.ovi.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  15. ↑ "Nokia Store: Download Viber and many other games, wallpaper, ringtones and mobile apps on your Nokia phone". Store.ovi.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  16. ↑ "Viber for Bada - Free messages on Samsung Bada". Viber.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  17. ↑ Cooper, Daniel (September 11, 2012). "Viber comes to Symbian, S40 and Bada, adds HD voice calling and group messaging to Nokia Lumia handsets". Engadget. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  18. ↑ "Why Viber won't have free phone calls on Blackberry App soon". Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Viber for Nokia Lumia smartphones updated to v2.2, Adds HD Voice Calling". SymbianTweet. 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  20. ↑ Cooper, Daniel (2012-09-11). "Viber comes to Symbian, S40 and Bada, adds HD voice calling and group messaging to Nokia Lumia handsets". Engadget.com. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  21. ↑ "WP8 Users Rejoice! Viber With Voice For Windows Phone 8 Has Been Released". Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  22. ↑ Crook, Jordan. "Viber Attacked By Syrian Electronic Army". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  23. ↑ "Popular mobile IM/VoIP app 'Viber' available for Linux". WebUpd8. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "Viber 4.2 Finally Released For Linux". phoronix.
  25. ↑ "Japanese Internet Giant Rakuten Acquires Viber For $900M". TechCrunch. February 13, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  26. ↑ "בני שבתאי את הונו מעבודה בקזינו בסווזילנדהעצום - כל הדרךכוכב שבתאי: כך בנה איש העסקים" [The Star of Shabtai: This is How the Businessman Benny Shabtai Has Amassed His Huge Fortune]. Forbes (in Hebrew). 6 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "Most of Viber's owners are based abroad including the Shabtais with a 55.2% stake". Globes. 16 February 2014.
  28. 1 2 "Secure Messaging Scorecard. Which apps and tools actually keep your messages safe?". Electronic Frontier Foundation. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  29. ↑ "Only 6 Messaging Apps Are Truly Secure". PC Magazine. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  30. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (19 April 2016). "Viber adds end-to-end encryption and hidden chats as the messaging app privacy wave grows". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  31. ↑ Viber Media (n.d.). "Viber Security FAQ". support.viber.com. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  32. ↑ Meyer, David (19 April 2016). "Another Big Messaging App Joins the End-to-End Encryption Party". Fortune. Time Inc. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  33. ↑ "Viber Encryption Overview". Viber. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  34. ↑ "Viber's HD Voice Feature for Windows Phone 8 "Coming Very Soon"". Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  35. ↑ Crook, Jordan. 10 December 2013. TechCrunch. "Viber Officially Launches Viber Out, Letting Users Call Mobile And Landline Numbers"
  36. ↑ "Opening ports for Viber Desktop". Viber. Viber Media S.à r.l. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  37. ↑ Viber sold for $900m by Hillel Koren, 14/02/2014, 14:55
  38. ↑ "Viber - DMCA Policy". Viber. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  39. ↑ "Viber Media". Foursquare. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  40. ↑ "Top 10 iPhone apps from Israel". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  41. 1 2 The Skype Killers of Belarus By Brett Forrest August 23, 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek, Technology
  42. ↑ "The History of Famous Domains Before They Became Big Brands". Essayroo.com. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  43. ↑ Talmon Marco's profile on LinkedIn
  44. ↑ "Viber founder: 'People should be concerned about privacy'". theguardian.
  45. ↑ Parmy Olson (7 May 2013). "Free-Calling App Viber Jumps To Desktop, Hits 200 Million Users". Forbes. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
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