No one can argue against the fact that WhatsApp is the most used messaging application in the world right now.
However, it is also true that this Facebook-owned app does not have all the top features that are already offered on other competing platforms such as Viber and even its own sister app, Facebook Messenger.
Viber is one of the most used apps in Asia, but it still commands a global user base of more than 650 million people. A huge part of this user base is Asian, but the app has slowly been finding its way to other parts of the world, including Africa, South America, and Europe. It has yet to make a major mark in the U.S. like with the case of Facebook Messenger, but it still available in the country.
As mentioned, Viber, for instance, offers a wide variety of features that you still won’t find on WhatsApp. The chat app can be used to make video calls as well as keep in touch with those who don’t have an account on the platform via Viber Out. These two, among a bunch of other features, make Viber one of the most standout chat apps out there.
It is getting even better for the Rakuten-owned messaging app as it has now gained a feature that WhatsApp users have been longing for. The company has just announced that it will from now henceforth allow the more than 650 million people that use it on Android and iOS to include animated GIFs in their messages. This is something that WhatsApp users can only dream of although they can still convert these animated characters into short videos, which in the long run can’t be sent as instant animations.
This is a great move by Viber, but it won’t be going down well for Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Still, there are rumors that support for GIFs might also be coming to this chat app sooner than later. In addition, it has also been reported that WhatsApp will be gaining support for video calling very soon, a feature that will help it get to the same levels with Viber and the likes of Skype, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts and FaceTime.
Just recently, WhatsApp users received a new standalone app for desktops, an update that meant they could stop relying on the web browser. However, the functionality is still the same as the web version, including the aspect of logging in via QR codes. You also need to keep the phone connected to the internet in order to get messages on the desktop app.