Viber launches instant video messages, chat extensions, redesigned emoji & more

Viber 6.5.5 for iOS redesigned emoji iPhone screenshot 001

About a month and a half ago, Viber rolled out Public Accounts as a new way to reach brands. Today, the messaging service pushed another update to its mobile app on the App Store. With Viber 6.5.5 for iPhone, you can now send instant video messages to contacts, share interesting online content with chat extensions without leaving the app, enjoy completely redrawn emoticons and add up to 250 participants to a group chat.

Instant video messages

You’ve been able to send photos and videos through Viber for years now.

Well, now you can surprise friends and family with instant video messages. Just tap and hold a new instant video at the bottom of your conversation and up pops a circular video preview as your video is being captured.

Viber 6.5.5 for iOS Instant Video Messages iPhone screenshot 001

Let go of the finger to instantly send the video message or swipe from right to left to cancel. You can create an instant video message up to thirty seconds long that the recipient sees as soon as he or she launches Viber.

Chat extensions

Viber designed all-new chat extensions to make it easier for us to find and share interesting pieces of online content from the conversation screen. Start by tapping the new @ icon alongside the bottom. Viber will present you with a list of built-in online sources, like Wikipedia, Giphy, Stickers and TheMovieDB.

Viber 6.5.5 for iOS Chat extensions iPhone screenshot 001

Tap your source to see some items, then tap a piece of content to send it.

Chat extension let you quickly share content like Wikipedia articles, animated GIFs, stickers and information about movies directly from the results with a single tap. And on devices with 3D Touch, you can press a thumbnail of a desired piece of content to preview it. More online sources will be added at a later stage.

As mentioned, Viber now lets you add up to 250 people to group chats.

Grab Viber for iOS for free from the App Store.