Choosing a different path, Viber has taken the bold step of copying Snapchat’s core self-destructing messaging feature.
Rakuten, which purchased Viber for approximately $1 billion three years ago, has decided to revise the version of Viber by introducing the same feature that was responsible for Snapchat’s fame.
According to local media, the “Secret Chats” feature update introduced in iOS and Android will help users to set a timer for their messages, after which they will disappear. Other apps, including Snapchat, Facebook, and Telegram have already provided the feature to their users.
The new feature also alerts users if the person to whom they are talking takes a screenshot —another feature pioneered by Snapchat.
Viber claims to have more than 800 million registered users, while it has not shared any details about the number of active users. The app has a strong hold in certain parts of Latin America, North Africa, Myanmar, and the Philippines in Southeast Asia.
Last month, Viber’s former mobile advertising executive Djamel Agaoua was named as the app’s CEO after founding CEO Talmon Marco left the company some time ago.
