Led by a strong desire to provide Filipinos with different ways to stay connected with more people amid the ongoing pandemic and as a response to its users’ growing demand and usage, Rakuten Viber, the leading messaging app in the Philippines for free and secure communication, announced that it has expanded its Group Video Call capacity to up to 30 participants.
When the pandemic due to COVID-19 was declared in 2020 and forced most people to stay at home, Viber responded by bolstering its capacities and doubling the maximum number of Group Video and Audio Calls participants to 20 people at once in anticipation of increase in app usage.
With the expansion of Group Video Calls capacity to 30 participants, Viber now allows its users to connect with and bring more people together in one secure platform, especially amid the extended quarantine in the Philippines. Delivering high-quality video calls, the feature is especially helpful for office workers who may need to invite more participants in a virtual meeting, educators who are looking for new ways to get in touch with their students, and basically anyone who wants to spend more quality time with their friends, families, and loved ones, or build their communities while staying safe at home.
A recent poll conducted by Viber showed that 33% of Filipino respondents said that they use Group Video Calls for work, 29% for connecting with family, and 20% for catching up with friends. Other poll respondents said they use the feature for their online classes and virtual fitness sessions.
And with Viber’s dedication in upholding users’ privacy, Group Video Calls are encrypted, so no one – not even Viber – can listen in, ensuring that conversations remain private as intended.
The update will come weeks after the messaging app has rolled out the Grid View on both desktop and mobile platforms so people could interact easier with each other during video calls. The expanded Group Video Call will soon be live both for Android and IOS devices, and works on mobile and desktop. The app is also committing to extend the Group Video Call capacity in the next months.
“Viber is one of the most popular messaging apps in the Philippines, and we are constantly working on different upgrades to our platform so we can better serve our Filipino users and support their communication needs especially in these trying times. We believe that through this gradual expansion of our video call capacities, more people are empowered to forge stronger relationships with more colleagues, friends, or loved ones despite the ongoing restrictions set by the social distancing guidelines,” shares Anna Znamenskaya, the Chief Growth Officer at Rakuten Viber.
