Skype Competitor Viber Launches On Windows Phone 8

Viber has made multi-platform expansion its number one priority. It makes sense, given that Viber’s main task is providing free, seamless communication to anyone in the world, regardless of which platform they use.

Today, that expansion includes Windows Phone 8, with a new native Viber app that has been especially tailored to the WP8 UI.

Just like the many Viber apps that have come before it, the new WP8 version includes free text and photo messaging, free VoIP HD calling, group chat with room for 40 of your closest friends, and location sharing. The app supports up to 30 different languages to comply with Viber’s global user base.

In terms of special tailoring for Windows Phone, the new Viber app allows users to pin their favorite conversations to the home screen in the form of a live tile. Of course, users will also get lock screen notifications for conversations that remain unpinned.

Here’s what Talmon Marco, Viber CEO, had to say about the launch:

One of our most important goals is supporting multiple platforms, ensuring our users can reach all of their friends and contacts no matter what mobile OS they use. Supporting Windows Phone 8 is a critical part of this strategy and we are thrilled that Viber will now be available on the growing list of Windows 8 devices.

As it stands now, Viber has hit most of the available platforms out there, including BlackBerry (not BB10), Bada, S40, Symbian, iOS, Android and has had Windows Phone beta apps available for quite a while. But this launch closes the loop in a big way, as Windows Phone is predicted to grow in the coming months and years.

Still, WP isn’t a significantly strong market for Viber. According to activation figures from the last 30 days, only two percent came from Windows Phone. To be fair, those were beta downloads, and no one is ever as excited about a beta as they are the real thing. But that two percent can’t really hold a candle to iOS’s 35 percent or Android’s whopping 58 percent share from the past month’s activations.

In any case, the Skype competitor continues to blossom, with 175 million registered users as of February.

[gallery ids="790050,790051,790052,790053,790054"]