Animations in chats (Hidden Gems)
When you type certain words in your chats on Viber, you may notice they change color or trigger an animation. These are called Hidden Gems. They're designed to make your conversations more expressive and to help keep Viber free for everyone.
What are Gems?
Gems are specific words that trigger a full-screen animation for you and the people you chat with.
- Hidden Gems: Words like "Happy Birthday" or "Congratulations" turn purple and trigger festive animations like balloons or confetti
- Sponsored Gems: These function similarly to Hidden Gems but are associated with Viber’s brand partners. For example, typing a specific keyword like "Coffee" may trigger a unique animation provided by a partner brand. Sponsored Gems are one of the ways Viber remains free for hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
Sponsored Gems are not targeted to you personally. They are not based on your profile, interests, or behavior. Every Viber user who types the same keyword sees the same result, regardless of who they are. The brand partners do not receive any personal information about you or your conversations.
Can I opt out of Gems?
Sponsored Gems only appear when you type a specific keyword. You always have the option to dismiss each Gem as follows:
- Mobile: Tap the X button right next to the Gem before sending your message
- Desktop: Hover over the highlighted text and click on the Remove animation option in the menu
Important
The ability to opt out of Gems may not be available in certain regions.
Can I remove the Gems completely?
If you have a Viber Plus subscription, you'll gain access to an ad-free experience, which includes the removal of Sponsored Gems. You will still experience the Hidden Gems.
Are my conversations private?
Yes. Your privacy is our priority. All of your private conversations on Viber are protected by end-to-end encryption, and Sponsored Gems do not change that. Here's what that means:
- Viber cannot read the content of your messages
- No third party or advertiser can access or read your chats
- Advertisers receive no data about individual users
- Keyword detection happens entirely on your device. Viber's servers never see or process the content of your messages to trigger these animations
- The feature even works offline, confirming nothing leaves your device
You can read more about Sponsored Gems here.