Viber has added a doodle feature to its VOIP and messaging app on Android in another bid to outdo a host of similar and successful OTT providers. 

Viber 3.1 for Android also enables users to see when messages have been read, has added support for the Windows desktop and Mac platforms, along with ‘fun new emoticons’. It has also been localised into 16 new languages.

The doodle update, already on offer on rival messaging apps like Snapchat and MessageMe, will be coming to iOS soon. Neat USPs of Viber include the ability to share your big-fingered masterpieces on Facebook, as well as a handy quick reply function via a lockscreen takeover. Viber also enables users to transfer calls from its desktop to mobile apps if you are on your way out the door.

The app, a popular travel companion or a good tool for those who make regular international calls, has proved considerably more popular on the Android platform to date. Today it stands at a not-too-shabby 18th overall in the free app category in Google Play – the company has shied away from both ads and charging for its service so far. Unfortunately, rivals like Facebook and WhatsApp come in at number one and two, with Skype not far behind at number four and Facebook Messenger at 10.

On iOS, where the free apps category is less messaging-heavy, WhatsApp is king at number six, followed by Snapchat at number eight. Skype pips its bitter rival to the post coming in at 32, with Viber placed 34th.

Viber’s CEO revealed in March that the company had passed 200m users. Skype announced at the start of this month that it had 100m Android installs alone.

Looking at their respective places in the charts, and Skypes considerable headstart, the Microsoft-owned platform seems to be on a faster trajectory towards its 1bn user target than the start-up, which was founded in 2010.