Group chats have become the space for most of our conversations now that face-to-face interactions are limited.
Amid increasing cases of identity theft and other data privacy issues, Viber has expanded its Disappearing Messages feature to include group chats within the app.
Previously available only for one-on-one chats, Viber’s Disappearing Messages feature allows each group chat member to decide whether they want a message to disappear right before sending it or not; the setting is not automatically applied to all messages. Users can set messages in a group chat to disappear 10 seconds, one minute, one hour, or one day after being read.
On devices using Android 6 or newer, Viber will completely disable forwarding, copying, or taking a screenshot of a message when the disappearing option is activated. For earlier versions of Android and all iOS users, group chat members will be automatically notified if any member takes a screenshot of a message set to disappear.
The feature can be applied to any type of message, including photos and stickers.
Personal and group chats on Viber are end-to-end encrypted, so users can be sure that their conversations are always private and secure.
“Privacy has long been a paramount concern for us, as evidenced by our unwavering adherence to end-to-end encryption. With this update, our commitment to privacy becomes even more personal for our users and the people they talk to the most,” said Nadav Melnick, vice president of product at Rakuten Viber.
New communities and sticker packs
The free messaging app also introduces new communities and sticker packs celebrating Cebu’s culinary specialties and Thirdy Ravena of SAN-EN NEOPHOENIX basketball team.
Food and delivery platform Let’s Eat Bai has launched its Viber Community, giving members exclusive access to promos and updates from their favorite local food businesses as well as food reviews and trivia.
To make their conversations more appetizing, Viber and Let’s Eat Bai have created a special sticker pack that also redirects users to the Community after download.
“We are truly proud and happy that through the new Let’s Eat Bai Community, Viber is able to serve the Cebu users even more as we bring Cebuano foodies together and support local businesses,” said APAC senior director David Tse.
A few weeks earlier, Viber also launched the SAN-EN NEOPHOENIX Viber Community featuring stickers of its new team member, Ravena.