MANILA, Philippines – Messaging app Viber is following in the footsteps of other major messaging services like Whatsapp, introducing end-to-end encryption and a feature called hidden chats to the application.

Users of Viber 6.0 and higher will automatically be protected by end-to-end encryption. Users who are also using Viber on an iPad, Android tablet or desktop computer will need to re-connect it to their phone using a QR code.

The encryption will show different types of color-coded locks depending on the situation.

Tapping on a grey padlock icon during a conversation will display a tooltip informing users that their chat is encrypted.

You can also manually authenticate trusted contacts, monitoring the authentication key of a contact for future changes to ensure that you’re talking to the right person. Tapping the green padlock will show a tooltip saying messages sent by the participants are encrypted, and you’re talking to a verified contact.

Meanwhile, tapping a red lock indicates an issue with verifiying the person you’re talking to, such as an authentication key problem. This may indicate a change to their primary phone or a potential man-in-the-middle attack in progress. In this case, the participant needs to be re-trusted.

Hidden chats

Another feature added to Viber is the hidden chat function. With this, a user can hide specific one-on-one or group conversations from the ‘chats’ screen. To make it visible, users need to correctly enter a 4-digit PIN.

Users can hide a conversation by tapping the info screen for a given discussion. It will then ask for a 4-digit PIN or, for iOS users, provide an option for a fingerprint.

The hidden chat feature, however, only works on the phone it is used on and is not bi-directional. If one user hides the conversation, nothing will be changed on a recipient’s side.

“We take our users’ security and privacy very seriously, and it’s critical to us that they feel confident and protected when using Viber,” said Michael Shmilov, COO of Viber.

He added, “we have spent a long time working on this latest update to ensure that our users have the most sophisticated security available and maximum control over their communications. We will continue to make this an ongoing priority as digital communication evolves.” – Rappler.com