Viber: Free Calls & Messages is an Interesting Concept, but has the Catch-22 Problem of needing more Users to be Useful
by Toni McQuilken
Jul 26, 2011 10:52 AM –
Install
Viber: Free Calls & Messages is an Android and iPhone application that lets you make free phone calls and send free text messages to other users that have Viber installed. When you use Viber, your phone calls to any other Viber user are free, and the sound quality is much better than a regular call. You can call any Viber user, anywhere in the world, for free and now also text them.
Price: Free
Tested on: MyTouch 3G Slide
Content Rating: Low Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Free calling and texting to anyone else who also has Viber installed.
Cons
- Only works if you have a lot of friends also using Viber.
Features:
In theory, I like Viber a lot. It’s a dialer/communications replacement app that allows you to cut the expensive voice and text plans to the bare minimum, since you can call and text through Viber for free. However, the caveat is that it only works (the free part, at least, you could still use it as a regular dialer if you wanted) with other users running Viber on their device as well.
The Android release follows the previous launch of Viber on iPhone, so the potential to have the vast majority of your contacts on here is decent. The problem is that it is still in beta, so the number of contacts who also use it will be very slim. This is the traditional catch-22 for apps of this sort. If enough people use them and it catches on, it could be a powerful tool, however, until more people use it, it’s just taking up space on the phone and not being used. The trick for the company is getting enough people to install it as early adopters and leave it running until the mainstream catches on.
Overall, I really didn’t experience any problems with the app, even though it is still in beta. When you launch it, you can see your recent/missed call list, your contacts, the keypad/dialer, messages (which is where the texts through the system will go) and more, which gives you a list of items such as inviting friends to join you on the service and sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.
I like that the call log shows everything, not just calls made through Viber, which is why I think it can be a full-on dialer replacement. This is a key feature that lets it play well with all your contacts, instead of relegating it to the background. Likewise, the contacts section will also bring up all of your contacts, letting you sort them by showing only those who are also on Viber, all of them at once, or only the ones you designate as favorites, which also includes, at the bottom, your frequently contacted list of numbers. For anyone who is on Viber in the non-Viber exclusive lists, a small icon will show next to their name.
My only real complaint, other than not having anyone I know also using the service yet, is that the icon in the notification bar telling you that you are connected to the Viber server never goes away. You can’t deactivate it or dismiss it, so if you’re a freak for clean notification areas, like me, this will drive you batty. I hope in the final release, the developers offer an option in settings to turn off the notification bar icon.
As far as battery life goes, the developer claims that it won’t impact it at all, but in my tests, I found my battery life lasted slightly less long. I can normally go about a day on a full charge with my normal usage. With Viber active, I found I could go about three quarters of a day. It’s not a massive drain, but enough that if you regularly push your battery to the limit between charge cycles as it is, this might effect your decision to use the app.
Watch on Mobile
-
-
Viber Keypad
-
-
Viber All Contacts
-
-
Viber Favorites
-
-
Viber Contacts
-
-
Viber Call Log
-
-
Viber Missed Calls
-
-
Viber Text Messages
-
-
Viber More
-
-
Viber Settings
Usefulness:
If you have enough friends and contacts who are willing to give Viber a shot, this could be a great way to cut your monthly cell phone bill, but not loose any of the unlimited functionality you’re used to. Especially with so many carriers getting rid of their unlimited packages, apps like Viber are going to become more and more popular and useful as time goes on.
Ease of Use:
All you have to do is install the app, give it permission to read your contacts, and then start making calls and texts. If you want to be proactive, use the tools in the “more” section to help the company promote it and invite your friends to join you so the user base will grow more quickly.
Frequently Used:
Again, this depends on how many people you communicate with are also using Viber. If there are a lot of them, this could become your full-time dialer and text message replacement app, used as frequently as you use those now.
Interface:
Other than the purple color scheme, Viber has stuck to a layout and interface that is close enough to the standard Android dialer that it is very easy to pick up and start using.
Tags:
Android App,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Free Calling,
Free Text Message,
Free VOIP,
social network,
Viber,
Viber: Free Calls & Messages,
VOIP
Categorised in: Communication
Submit apps for review,
promote apps, get more installs with better
app videos.