Rakuten Viber will bring the magic of Augmented Reality (AR) Lenses to its application through a partnership with Snap Inc. In addition, to cater to the growing number of users in Bangladesh, Viber will also be launching its new lens features in the country soon.
Using Snap’s developer tools, including Camera Kit, Creative Kit, and Bitmoji, the Viber app will integrate AR Lenses, enable sharing to Snapchat, and bring customizable Bitmoji avatars to Viber.
Viber Lenses Powered by Snap will offer AR-enabled video messaging and photos to Viber users for the first time. The launch includes 30 new Viber Lenses, including animal masks and Viber Characters, an underwater Lens, silly cat interactions, and more. The company plans to add between 50-70 additional Lenses per month, amounting to at least 300 Lenses by the end of 2021. Businesses will also have the opportunity to create their own exclusive Lenses on Viber. The World Wildlife Fund, FC Barcelona, and the World Health Organization are among the first Viber partners to offer new Lenses on the messaging app. The customized Lenses will boost engagement between users and the brands they love on the Viber platform.
Viber is a calling and messaging app that connects people and allows them to express themselves creatively – no matter who or where they are located. Personal and group chats on Viber are end-to-end encrypted (E2EE), so users can be sure that their communications are always private and secure.
Viber Lenses are an uplifting addition to the app’s existing sticker collections, which allow users to express themselves visually while chatting away. And the adoption of Snap’s Camera Kit, Bitmoji, and Creative Kit by Viber are additional ways for the company to bring people closer together and make those connections even more meaningful and enjoyable.
The new range of Viber’s features has been designed to support the company’s commitment to simplify usability and ensuring data privacy. The Instant Augmented Reality feature allows users to add overlay images on top of surroundings and harness the power of AR at their fingertips. Viber users can now select from various masks that accurately follow users’ facial movements through the Expressive Masks feature. Moreover, Beautification Features will enhance users’ images with realistic touches like lipstick, blush, and various hair colors.
Apart from these, the new range of features includes Attention-Grabbing Filters that add a creative layer to your visuals and spark conversations with friends. Users can also use the Customized Bitmoji feature to integrate personalized Bitmoji characters into photos and videos.
The ability to offer sponsored and branded Lenses will provide an additional revenue stream to Viber, as business partners will be able to create custom Lenses for their communities on the platform.
On this occasion, Elliot Solomon, Director, Camera Platform Partnerships, Snap Inc., said, “Snap’s partnership with Rakuten Viber is a win-win situation for us both. It will help us to expand our Augmented Reality technology into regions where Viber already has a solid footprint, and help their users to express themselves through AR on the Viber platform.”
Djamel Agaoua, CEO, Rakuten Viber, added, “We’re excited to bring the Snap camera to Viber users. Through this partnership, we want to empower the creativity of our users with AR, and we’re looking forward to inspiring new fun-filled ways for people to keep in touch with their friends and family members. Viber is more than a messaging app. It not only connects people with each other, but it is also a place where users can create entertaining, exciting, and rewarding content to share with their communities.”
The iOS version of the app with these new features, as well as the Android beta version in the English language starting from June 30, 2021, in most countries where Viber operates.
