Viber Aids Typhoon-stricken Philippine Victims with Viber Out

It is in every human being’s nature to help those who are in need. Goodness is innate in all of us, and it shows especially when the situation calls for it. Whether it is something that requires our big effort to help or just in our very own little ways, helping others exudes our sense of humanity.

Over the weekend, super typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) wreaked havoc in the Pearl of the Orient Seas. It was branded as one of the strongest typhoons to date. It is the deadliest storm to ever hit the Philippines on record, with officials saying that as much as 10,000 people are believed to be dead in one coastal city alone; the typhoon trailed more parts of the Philippine archipelago, which might have claimed more victims.

And as said, due to the recent devastation in the Philippines, Viber, a pioneering mobile messaging and VoIP company, has opened a temporary service, allowing Filipino users to call regular non-Viber numbers outside of the country for free. It used its official account to send out a message on Monday at about 8:50 am, to deliver the good news. According to Talmon Marco, CEO of Viber, “Things happen, and since we’re the largest over-the-top provider there, we rushed something to market that isn’t far from readiness but isn’t fully completed.”

The service is not yet the final product; hence, not all countries are supported. In addition, the quality of service may vary when calling loved ones abroad depending on the country. For this temporary feature to work, one may need to have to restart his device. Open the app, and tap any of the numbers listed next to “Viber Out.” Typically, a Viber user will be charged accordingly depending on normal overseas call rates if he contacts a non-Viber user. But this temporary service exclusive in the Philippines makes the call absolutely free. Marco explains that the Viber Out, which will eventually be a premium feature for everyone, but it is made available to Filipinos temporarily to aid them in terms of communications.

Currently, the service supports mobile and landline numbers in USA, Canada, UK, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Thailand; while it supports landline only numbers in Argentina, Brazil Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Venezuela.

Nothing is more calming than knowing your loved ones afar who have been stricken by the calamity to be safe and sound. Alleviate them from their long-standing agony and give them peace of mind. So, do your family abroad a big favor; call them in their mobile or landline phones to let them know that you’re just okay.