Thanks to the advent of smartphones, we no longer have to worry about going over our message limit, or sending the same message to different people. Nowadays there is a large selection of different messaging apps to choose from, which allow you to send as many messages to as many people as you like, including group messages, all for free. Not only that, but you can freely send videos, pictures, and even share your location with others for no cost.

Depending on where you live, the most popular messaging app could be WhatsApp or Kik, Telegram or Voxer. Another extremely popular app is Viber, which has over 100 million active monthly users from a total of 280 million registered users. The messaging tool, which was launched in 2010, is available for both iOS and Android and allows you to have both video and audio chats.

Of course, as with all messaging apps, you need to make sure that what you share is safe and secure, so we’ve put together a few simple steps to ensure your data can’t be accessed.

6 steps to make your Viber more secure

1. Change your online status

This may seem like a rather simple step, but there’s no need for your contacts to know every time you open the app to read an old message. In order to hide your online status in Viber, go to the settings section, select “Privacy” and untick “Share ‘Online’ Status”.

2. Make Viber profile photo hidden from unknown users

Having a profile photo on Viber helps your contacts recognize you quickly and easily, but you can just as easily keep it hidden from unknown users. All you need to do is open “Privacy”, choose “Profile photo” and select “Nobody”.

3. Change the seen option for contacts

If you don’t want your contacts to know when you have seen or read their messages, you can change the option by going to the settings, then “Privacy”, and take the tick off the “Share ‘Using App’ status” line.

4. Use a password to block Viber

If you are unfortunate enough for your smartphone to land itself in the hands of another person, you can ensure they aren’t able to read your private messages by using a password to block access. The app itself doesn’t come with any locking device, but you can easily download a password app that you can use with Viber for free.

5. Don’t save Viber photos in your gallery

All photos that are sent or received via the app are stored automatically in a new folder in your phone’s gallery. So even if you’ve blocked the app, someone can still access your photos. Simply delete the photos immediately (you can still view them within the app) or follow these quick and easy steps:

• Download a file manager app i.e ASTRO, ES File Manager or Cabinet Beta
• Navigate to “vibermediaViber Images” directory in your phone.
• Create a new file “.nomedia” (without quotes) and save it.

6. Hide Using App status

Any games or actions you carry out within the app is viewable by others, so to prevent them seeing what you are doing just go to the settings, then “Privacy”, and take the tick off the “Share ‘Using App’ status” line. Easy as that.

So, now that you have completed these simple steps, you can ensure that whatever you send to your family and friends can remain confidential, and so is all of your activity while using the messaging tool.

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