Outside its core markets Viber is often forgotten, but it's still the number-one messenger in Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and large parts of the Balkans and Southeast Asia. If you're doing business in Kyiv, Chișinău, Manila, or Yangon, ignore Viber at your own peril.
How Viber works
Viber, owned by Japanese conglomerate Rakuten since 2014, uses phone numbers as account IDs — like WhatsApp, and unlike Telegram or Signal. Once you install Viber and verify with a one-time SMS code, anyone with your number in their contacts and Viber installed will see you as reachable.
Opening a Viber chat from a phone number
Viber supports two URL schemes:
viber://chat?number=+380671234567— opens a chat with that number. This is the modern format Ringlink uses.viber://contact?number=+380671234567— opens the contact preview instead of jumping into a chat.
Both require the number in E.164 format (leading +, country code, no spaces or dashes).
The Ukraine market
As of 2026, Viber holds an estimated 90%+ share of active messenger users in Ukraine. Government agencies (including Diia, Ukraine's e-government service), banks, delivery companies, and utility providers all send transactional messages over Viber. During the war years, Viber added air-raid alert integrations and government broadcast channels.
This is why Ringlink surfaces Viber as the top-priority app whenever it detects a +380 number. WhatsApp exists in Ukraine but is a distant second.
Viber Communities and Chatbots
Beyond one-to-one chats, Viber has:
- Communities — public groups of up to one million members, similar to Telegram channels but with two-way chat by default.
- Chatbots — businesses build bots for order tracking, appointment scheduling, and customer support.
- Viber Out — paid calling to non-Viber phone numbers, essentially a VoIP service.
Privacy defaults
Viber does not, by default, tell other users your last-seen time. Two-factor authentication is available. Chats between two users are end-to-end encrypted using an implementation of the Signal-inspired double-ratchet, though the source code is not public.
Sticker economy
Viber's sticker market is a business in itself. In the Balkans it's common for local celebrities, football clubs, and even politicians to release official sticker packs. If your Balkan clients seem oddly attached to Viber, this is part of why.
Setting up for the first time
- Install Viber from Play Store or App Store.
- Enter your phone number. Viber sends an SMS with a 6-digit code.
- Grant contact access if you want to see which contacts are on Viber.
- Set a display name and optionally a photo.
Desktop and tablet
Viber supports desktop apps (Windows, macOS, Linux) linked to your phone via QR code, similar to WhatsApp Web. Unlike WhatsApp, Viber desktop can operate for several days without the phone being online.
The takeaway
For clients in Viber-heavy countries, install Viber even if you won't use it daily. Missing a Viber message from a Ukrainian supplier or a Filipino freelancer is like ignoring an email — it damages trust. Ringlink lets you keep the app installed but cold; when a Ukrainian or Filipino number lands in your feed, the Viber tile lights up and you're one tap into the conversation.