Popular mobile messaging app, Viber has announced the release of Viber 4.1 for Android and iPhone which includes the full global launch of Viber Out, a new feature that allows users to make low-cost calls to any mobile or landline phone number.
Also available in Malaysia, Viber Out cost about 7sen/min for calls to landline and 22sen/min to mobile numbers.
The service was first made available in November, for users in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan to help users contact friends and loved ones. To provide free calls from the Philippines for free, Viber partnered with telcos across the world including Telecom Austria, Telecom New Zealand, Hutchison, Bharti Airtel, Telecom Italia, Citic, Netvision Cellcom, Mada Communication and Omantel. Viber also partnered with Globe Telecom to allow users worldwide to call the Philippines for free.
Now with the official worldwide launch, Viber Out enables all Viber users to call anyone worldwide at low rates on Android, iPhone and Desktop, coming to Windows Phone in the future.
Purchasing credit for Viber Out can be completed either through a simple in-app purchase via either the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store or using a credit card via Viber Desktop. Additionally, Viber Out has a significantly lower price-per-call than other competing services due to lower per minute rates and the omission of connection fees, according to the company.
“Viber Out gives our millions of users a new way to use Viber and ensures that they can reach any contact at any time,” said Talmon Marco, CEO of Viber. “We will continue to improve Viber Out, keeping our users connected at the most affordable rates possible.”
Viber is an app developed by Viber Media. It allows people to send free text messages, fun stickers, photos, videos and doodles, share locations, make free HD-quality calls, communicate with Push-To-Talk on iPhone, Android phones and tablets, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Windows, Mac, Linux, Symbian, Nokia S40 and Bada devices over 3G/4G or WiFi connections.
The company claims that it has more than 200 million users in 193 countries.
