Viber updated with redesign, better quality and more

Viber has announced an update to its messaging app on Android and iOS, with a number of interface improvements and better voice call quality being promised. Recipients will receive the contact info, including name and photo, with an option to easily save them to their contacts.

Viber’s head of product, Ofir Eyal, says that most of the changes have been implemented based on feedback received from users, so the additions should (in theory) be ones users have been waiting for.

Viber version 5.5 now automatically provides a message bubble with an image of the website a user is sharing when they drop a URL into chat, providing a nice preview of the web content in question. The video call interface has actually been changed, and you now have more “intuitive triggers” to initiate a call from the contacts’ profile to the recent calls list. “This update makes it easier for people to share richer content within their messages”.

Knowing that data usage is an important consideration for users, Viber also continues to improve voice and video call quality whilst preserving low data consumption. That will help a number of Viber users who are located where the cell network is unreliable or slow. The company also says that it is improving the call quality, while reducing the amount of data it uses at the same time. You’ll also be seeing some new animated stickers akin to what you’ll find in Messenger. Available now worldwide, Disney’s “Inside Out” pack leads the charge with a character to express – literally – every emotion from Joy to Anger; Fear to Disgust! The iPad version now supports simultaneous sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac and the Android tablet app has a redesigned call screen.