Viber update adds instant video messages and chat extensions

Today, Viber is rolling out a brand new update that brings the ability to share short video messages with your friends list, as well as integrations with third-party services like Giphy and Wikipedia, and redesigned emoticons.

Let’s start with the most significant change. Now, with just a tap, you can record a 30 second video, which you can share with your friends list.

The new feature is integrated into the chat window, and can be reached by swiping on the voice message button. But before you do, there’s a couple of things to note. Namely, the videos are limited to thirty seconds, and are cropped into a circular shape. Unlike Snapchat, there’s no expiration date.

Viber also now boasts a range of integrations with third-party services. At launch, these will include Giphy, Wikipedia, and TheMovieDB (which I assume is a dollar store version of IMDB), as well as Viber Stickers. To access these, just type ‘@’ with the name of the service you’re trying to access, like ‘@stickers’.

Michael Shmilov, COO of Viber, said “With the addition of Chat Extensions, people can now access a variety of external services directly from their chat screen, search, and instantly share content with their friends.”

Finally, there’s all new redesigned emoticons, which Viber says have been redesigned with a new flat design.

All these features will be available on Android and iOS. To get at them, just update your app.