Most messaging services that use your phone number, such as WhatsApp ($0.00 at Google Play) (Opens in a new window), confirm your account by sending a text message to your phone. Setting up Viber is a snap on Android: Just enter your phone number and a user name, and Viber more or less does the rest. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window).

Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. There are desktop apps as well, but note that you can only have one phone associated with each account. This is a cross-platform service, so you can install it on your iPhone or Windows Phone. Viber is available for free on the Google Play store, and I had no trouble installing it on my Nexus 5x ($89.99 at Amazon) (Opens in a new window). A recent update has added end-to-end encryption, but it feels like this app has lost a bit of ground against the competition, as I'll explain. Prominent among these tools is Viber, a powerful Android app that lets you text, call, and make video calls with anyone on the service. And then came the over-the-top messaging services that use data, instead of your cellular connection, to send messages.

In the beginning, there was text messaging, and it was good-except that it frequently cost money and messaging people overseas was prohibitively expensive, if not actually impossible. Cannot replace your messaging and phone apps.Out of network, non-US calls cost money.How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

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