Viber Out as a great replacement for Skype Out after its recent death

The best quality audio we can get for planned remote audio for cohosts and guests is still achieved by using Cleanfeed (Pro) or RØDE’s new CallMe service (if you have a recent RØDECaster) together with a professional microphone. However, for the unique situation of making an impromptu outgoing call to an airline, consulate, embassy, hotel (or even certain individuals who don’t use a smartphone or computer… or lack Internet connectivity on a particular day) for comment via a standard POTS telephone number during a production or live show, I used to recommend Skype Out. Before Microsoft suspended all Skype services in May 2025, the optional Skype Out service allowed us to call from our desktop computer to any landline phone number for a very reasonable price. Of course, I know that we can patch in our mobile telephone device or even our landline telephone to our audio setup, I find it simpler and more streamlined just to do it from an app on the computer, as long as the app allows us to set the audio source and destination, as Skype did. Now, I have tested Viber Out as a replacement for Skype Out for that purpose, since there are fortunately desktop Viber apps for Linux, macOS and Windows and it too has the mentioned audio settings and more. Ahead you’ll learn about Viber integration with several audio setups, potential HD Voice quality, pricing and more.

How to make a Viber Out call from your desktop

To make a call from your desktop computer (including laptops) to an existing contact:

1. Open the Rakuten Viber app on your desktop (Linux, macOS or Windows).
2. Find the contact that you want to call either in the Chats list or by typing their name in the Search field.
3. Right-click on the chat.
4. Select Call (Viber Out).

To make a call from your desktop computer (including laptops) to a non-contact:

1. Open the Rakuten Viber app on your desktop (Linux, macOS or Windows).
2. Click on your profile picture next to the Search field.
3. Click on Use Dial Pad.
4. Using the Down Arrow select the country that you wish to call.
5. Enter the phone number, including the area code (without any leading 0’s).
6. Click Call.

How will your number be displayed during an outgoing call from Viber Out?

According to the official website and my own experience, the associated Rakuten Viber phone number will be displayed to the person you are calling. They add:

«On rare occasions, your phone number may be displayed as a “Private number” or a number that is not yours. If your number is displayed incorrectly during an international Viber Out call, please contact support.»

Although in the past, the company offered a unique Viber Out number, currently they only offer showing the same number as the mobile number used to register Viber on your mobile phone, which is a prerequisite to having Viber on your desktop computer (Linux, macOS or Windows).

Potential HD Voice with Viber Out

You make have noticed on your recent smartphone that certain standard POTS calls indicate HD Voice on the screen. You may have also noticed that some standard POTS calls just sound dramatically better than others, likely because both you and the other party have HD Voice capabilities. Technically speaking, HD Voice (aka wideband audio or wideband voice) is high definition voice quality for telephony audio, contrasted with standard digital telephony. It extends the frequency range of audio signals transmitted over telephone lines, resulting in higher quality speech. The range of the human voice usually extends from 100 Hz to 17 kHz but traditional, voiceband or narrowband telephone calls limit audio frequencies to the range of 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz. HD Voice extends the bandwidth and transmits in the audio frequency range of 50 Hz to 7 kHz. Of course, this will not compare to the quality of Cleanfeed (Pro) or RØDE’s CallMe service, but the idea is to have the other person sound much better than the original POTS quality if and when possible.

Although Skype Out (to standard POTS numbers) never had HD Voice nor does Google Voice, according to Viber, Viber out does offer HD Voice as long as the connected party also has it. Even some «dumbphones» have HD Voice capabilities, including the Alcatel GO FLIP, Nokia 105 4G and the TCL FLIP Pro Voice & Text Only. Although most older landlines in service have the original lowest-quality telephone audio, those which use a modern VoIP landlines can have HD Voice. For example, OOMA (both residential and commercial) can have HD Voice when using the Ooma Telo base station or Phone Genie device as long as the connected telephone handset and the other person’s device also support it too.

This is not something you have to activate in the Viber app. It will just work (whenever possible) if the number you call via Viber Out is capable of it.

Viber Out current pricing

Current Viber Out pricing is very low, i.e. pennies per minute for calls to many countries I researched. Click here for current pricing.

For my testing, I prepaid US$4.99 which at publication time of this article (for example) includes 262 minutes to mobile numbers or landlines in the US, excluding Alaska and Puerto Rico. To Alaska, it includes 101 minutes and to Puerto Rico, 237 minutes. To landline numbers in Spain, it includes 262 minutes or 127 minutes to mobile numbers. Rakuten Viber is part of Rakuten Inc. which is based in Cyprus, has offices in many countries worldwide and accepts credit or debit card payments from most countries via Stripe. Regarding the languages supported for technical support, they state:

«Rakuten Viber support is currently available in English, Japanese, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian only.»

Integration of Viber with 3 mixers (1 physical, 2 software)

Physical mixer

If you want to use a physical RØDECaster mixer, visit this official RØDECaster article which allows you to use the computer both as a destination and as a virtual source for one of the physical faders on the RØDECaster, with automatic mix-minus, which will prevent the called individual from hearing her/himself in an echo.

All local participants who have a microphone connected to the RØDECaster should also have headphones (or in-ear IFB monitors) not only for QC, but also to hear the individual connected via Viber Out.

Software mixers

The two software mixers I am covering ahead in alphabetical order are the ones I tested on macOS. I have not tested this on any other operating system so far.

RØDE Connect

In addition to the up to four local USB devices which can be connected locally (covered in a prior article, each with its own mix-minus which is automatic and invisible to the operator), RØDE Connect also allows connecting up to two independent audio communication services, each with its own mix-minus which is also automatic and invisible to the operator. All the operator needs to do is to properly set the particular app’s audio input (“microphone”) and audio monitoring (“speaker”) to one of the two virtual audio input devices provided by RØDE Connect. Those two virtual audio devices are called RØDE Connect System and RØDE Connect Virtual.

Each one is bidirectional and each has its own individual mix-minus, without the operator having to know about it or do anything about it. So whatever the communication service may be, you just have to use one of them for one service, i.e. RØDE Connect System selected both as Microphone (or Input) and as Speaker). In the other, you must select RØDE Connect Virtual for both Microphone (or Input) and “speaker”). Each one should be added to the sources in the RØDE Connect mixer and can be labeled as desired. In this example, I am using RØDE Connect Virtual for Viber, the steps will be:

1. If it doesn’t already exist, add an input source for RØDE Connect Virtual in the RØDE Connect app.
2. (OPTIONAL) Rename the source from Virtual to be named Viber. This will make the mixer more intuitive.
3. Within the Viber app, go to Settings>Call Settings>Input, select RØDE Connect Virtual. Do the same for the Output. This RØDE Connect Virtual is a mix-minus signal including all compatible local RØDE USB sources (including any effects/equalization applied to each of the microphone sources in the case of those which have an internal DSP) along with any prerecorded audio cart you play during the call within RØDE Connect. The person connected via Viber Out will hear all of that (if active), minus her/his own voice.

If you prefer to use RØDE Connect System instead of RØDE Connect Virtual, just substitute it in the above instructions.

All local participants who have a a compatible RØDE USB microphone (or compatible RØDE interface) connected to the RØDE Connect software mixer should also have headphones (or in-ear IFB monitors) connected to the particular RØDE USB microphone or interface, not only for QC, but also to hear the individual connected via Viber Out.

Shure Motiv Mix

1. Open System Configuration of your Mac.
2. Navigate to Sound: Click on Sound. Select Output: Choose the Output tab.
3. Select Motiv Mix Virtual as the output device. This will route all computer audio to the MOTIV Mix Virtual Audio Driver.
4. Open the Motiv Mix app. If the Virtual Audio Device (labeled as MOTIV Mix) is not already in your mixer, add it from the Sources panel, which is called Fuentes if your Mac is set to be in Castilian (castellano).
5. Add the name Viber above the words Motiv Mix Virtual, which will remain below the word you type above it. This is helpful not only to make it easier to recognize the input in the mixer, but also to name the individual audio track recording if you make a multitrack recording using Shure Motiv Mix.
6. On this same channel within Motiv Mix, click on the word Monitor at the bottom so that you will hear the remote party connected via Viber in the headphones you have connected to your compatible Shure USB microphone, together with any other input channel which may be marked with the word Monitor.
7. Within the Viber app, go to Settings>Call Settings>Input, select Motiv Mix Virtual. Do the same for the Output. This Motiv Mix Virtual is a mix-minus signal including all active sources (including any effects/equalization applied to each of the microphone sources in the case of those which have an internal DSP) along with any prerecorded audio cart you play during the call to Motiv Mix (from an audio app, since Motiv Mix does not have built-in carts as of publication date of this article). The person connected via Viber Out will hear all of that (if active), minus her/his own voice to avoid echo.

Wish list for Viber Out

I hope Rakuten Viber will again sell unique phone numbers for use with Viber Out.

For live incoming calls from the general public

This article is about making outgoing impromptu calls to a standard phone number Viber Out, like an airline, consulate, embassy or company’s standard phone number for comment. For live incoming calls from the public from standard phone numbers, I still recommend CallInStudio which allows either a human or virtual call screening.

Of course, the standard free Viber desktop app (without Viber Out) can be used to take live calls (audio only or audio with video) from the general public if they use Viber. If desired, it can be set only to ring from callers that are already among your contacts, so if desired, you can have regular listeners/viewers request to be pre-approved via a contact form on your show’s website.

Conclusions

Viber Out is a superior replacement for Skype Out for productions when you must make an impromptu outgoing call to an airline, consulate, embassy or company’s standard phone number for comment. As detailed in the article, the app’s settings for its audio input and output makes it feasible to integrate it with several audio setups, including a physical RØDECaster or with two covered software mixers, all of which offer mix-minus for the individual called via Viber (Out). At just a few cents per minute to call most worldwide destinations. Its customer service responds quickly and accurately to questions. The standard free Viber desktop app (without Viber Out) can be used to take live calls (audio only or audio with video) from the general public, Viber-to-Viber.

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Viber Out como reemplazo a Skype Out, después de su reciente suspensión