Viper Plagiarism App - Release Notes

Version 1.8 – 9th December 2018

Our final release of 2018 brings a range of great updates and some handy new features to Viper. We’ve been working hard on a variety of changes based on your feedback, which we think you’ll love.

Along with the usual visual updates to make Viper look and feel even better, we’ve added a fantastic new feature: Projects. Our Projects feature allows you to group all the drafts of your work into a single project. Within the project, you can access any previous scans you’ve made of the same piece of work, allowing you to keep track of your plagiarism percentage as you complete your work. As you scan different pieces of work over time, each will have its own project. This allows Premium users to get matches against their past pieces of work. For more details, read our help article about Projects.

We’ve also listened to one of your major requests and increased the scanning limit for Viper. You can now scan much larger documents – up to approximately 100,000 words (specifically 600,000 characters). Finally, we’ve added support for two popular and often requested file types – you can now scan PDF files and PowerPoint Presentations – and much, much more!

• A brand-new feature, Projects, which allows Premium users to scan their current work against their past scans.
• Support for more file types: we've added PDF and PowerPoint Presentations!
• We increased the limit for documents to 600,000 characters from 89,000 characters. This means even the biggest PhDs and Dissertations will have no problem being scanned!
• We've improved our plagiarism report with better scores and percentages to make things even clearer. This includes an improved downloadable plagiarism report and faster report building in the background.
• Added a new copy/paste box for direct text entry - for those quick scans!
• Improved multi-upload support for easier bulk scanning of many documents at once.
• Added a new, more visual scanning progress bar. More colourful and easier to see your progress.
• You should find Viper much easier to use on your mobile device, with better mobile and tablet display and navigation.
• Improved processing speed for Word Documents and PDF result files.
• We completed a large behind the scenes overhaul of the scanning component of Viper, which means various improvements and fixes to minor issues encountered by some users.
• We fixed some bugs with what you see and what happens when Viper is experiencing problems.
• Fixed a bug when a new customer scanned a document and then tried to view results before it had completed.
• Fixed a bug when scanning documents built with a referencing helper.

Version 1.7 – 31st July 2018

The summer is here and with it arrives Version 1.7 of Viper. We've been working hard on some fantastic updates to the web app to make your scanning experience even better.
The biggest change you'll notice is a refreshed look for Viper, with a design update in all areas of the app. We listened to user feedback to refine Viper and make it even easier to use!
We overhauled the documents list to make easier to view, especially for users who scan a lot of documents. Scans are sorted in order, but now display the date of scan, overall plagiarism score and category of file. If you've got lots of scans, you'll also notice they are split into pages, so you don't have to scroll through long lists to find what you're looking for.
You asked, so we answered – search is now available! You can search your documents from anywhere in the app – just start typing your document's name to see the results.
When viewing a scan result in the app, you'll now see an improved layout and easy access to helpful information to interpret your overall plagiarism score. We also improved the plagiarism download report, with a new look (and more improvements to come).

• We added a new marketing component to make the benefits of buying premium credits clearer and easier.
• We tweaked the upload and scanning animations to be a little more visually appealing.
• We made the documents list look even better! We've added more information to each scan listed in the document list so it's even more informative. You can now see the:
  • scan date;
  • category of file; and
  • plagiarism percentage.
• We've added pagination to the documents list, so users who have scanned lots of documents don't get swamped with too long a list!
• We added search functionality for your documents! Now you can search for scanned documents anywhere in the app – this is particularly handy for users who have lots of scans.
• We overhauled the document design to look better, with a cleaner look, popup information about interpreting the plagiarism score, and gentle animations to slide in results.
• Added a brand-new download report design based on user feedback, that more closely reflects the document design in-app. Matches and overall score have been moved to the left, and the explanatory information about how to interpret your report has been added.
• When making payment using Stripe, users would be prompted to re-enter their password. This has been removed.
• We've added an improved feedback survey and a version of the feedback survey in Spanish.
• Users attempting to make payment using an AMEX card were having issues. We've fixed this issue, so AMEX users should find making a card payment easier!
• Solved an issue where users had difficulty logging out on mobile devices.
• Fixed an issue where the incorrect scanning button was showing for some users.
• Fixed an issue with refresh tokens that caused the app to hang for some users.
• Fixed a bug that caused components to load twice on hard-refresh.
• Fixed some bugs when registering with Google.
• Fixed a bug where users could upload work without selecting a category.
• Some users using Microsoft Edge were having issues with Viper. We fixed the bug causing this problem.

Version 1.6 – 9th May 2018

Hola! Viper 1.6 has arrived with some exciting features. We're delighted to announce that the Viper app and website is now fully available in Spanish with all the same features you know and love.
This version also adds a brilliant new feature to connect your Viper account to your Google account.
The first feature is Google Drive Submission. This allows you to access files stored in your Google Drive; and upload them directly to Viper to be scanned. Super handy for students who complete their coursework on Google Docs or Drive directly!
The second feature is Google Sign on. You can now link your existing Viper account directly to your Google account, or, if you are a new user, you can sign up in one click with Google. This allows you to quickly sign in using Google and get scanning straight away!

• Added a Spanish version of Viper with a fully translated app, website and help centre. ¡Estupendo!
• We've added the ability to upload files from Google Drive! You can connect your Google Drive account to Viper and access your documents from wherever you are in the world.
• That's not all – we've also added Google as a login and registration option! New users can now register an account directly with Google, and existing users can connect their Viper and Google accounts to log in with one simple click.
• We did a major refactor of some behind-the-scenes components to make the app faster and more efficient – for example only loading certain elements of the app, like live chat, when required.
• We added a clearer message for when a scan is queued and may take a little longer than normal. On rare occasions when Viper is extremely busy, there can be small delays, so this makes sure the user is kept up to date.
• Fixed an issue some IE11 (Internet Explorer) users were having with Viper.

Version 1.5 – 21st Feb 2018

Version 1.5 is here, with a focus on offering our users even more choice and flexibility when using Viper. The biggest change in version 1.5 is the addition of PayPal as a payment provider, and additional currency payment options. We're thrilled to announce the launch of PayPal, allowing users to use an alternative payment option with added security. This means users without access to a credit or debit card can purchase premium credits if they wish. We've also added different currencies so that users overseas can avoid currency conversion charges by paying in their own currency!

• We've added PayPal as a payment provider! Added PayPal checkout, giving users an alternative to Stripe.
• We've also added multiple currency support – users can now pay in United States Dollars ($USD), Euros (€EUR), Australian Dollars ($AUD) and Canadian Dollars ($CAD), as well as British Pound Sterling (£GBP).
• We added an exciting behind-the-scenes upgrade allowing us to deploy changes more efficiently and without causing interruption to any users.
• Added some loading spinners to the payment process, to make it clearer that a payment is being processed. Some users were exiting the payment process before their payment had completed.
• Updated dependencies - speed and size improvements.
• Added a policies section to the app which contains our cookie and privacy policy and terms and conditions, to prepare for GDPR compliance.
• We added a share button to the document view, allowing users to display a badge on their website to show they have used Viper.

Version 1.4 – 17th January 2018

Viper Version 1.4 brings some behind the scenes upgrades and changes, along with some exciting visual updates. We've given the app a slight refresh – the biggest change is the addition of some small animations to improve your experience and make Viper more visually engaging.

• We've changed the account drop-down button to show a user's full name in the button, along with a drop-down arrow to make it clearer where to find profile and account.
• Upload component redesign - Added animations to create a better experience and to give a useful representation of each scan. Added steps as to what we do before completing the scan.
• We've improved the plagiarism sources list, adding an improved design, some animation and progress percentages.
• Updated the document list design to give a cleaner look.
• We updated the navigation bars – we switched the colour to white, spaced items out more and added a bordered feel.
• We updated the dependencies of the scanner, giving performance increases and a lower payload.
• Improved the way loading is displayed.
• Fixed an error that meant some users saw our onboarding process (designed for new users on their first-time login) multiple times.
• We have fixed an issue where some users couldn't remove a file that they had uploaded but decided not to scan.
• Some fixes to the live chat button displayed for premium users.

Version 1.3 – 12th December 2017

We're launching some important security and stability updates as part of Viper Version 1.3 – fixing issues reported by our wonderful users, squashing some pesky bugs and adding more support for users!

• Lots of behind the scenes work, to improve stability and performance of the app.
• We've removed some unused files to trim the size of the web app and ensure it runs as efficiently as possible.
• Improved support for different browsers.
• Fixed a problem some users would have on rare occasions with the animations in-app.
• Fixed some errors involving the route a user can take through the web app. If the user takes an unexpected journey and hits an error, this can log them out.

Version 1.2 – 6th November 2017

Version 1.2 of Viper is a big milestone, with the launch of premium credits! Users of Viper can now purchase premium credits for an improved plagiarism scanning experience. Credits can be purchased in bundles, allowing complete flexibility for users to buy as much or as little as they need. Premium scans are never published online.

• You can now purchase premium credits and conduct premium scans! Added ability to purchase credits in bundles of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 50 credits.
• We added Stripe as our payment provider, which allows users anywhere in the world to purchase credits using a credit or debit card.
• We've upgraded the look and feel of the whole app with an improved design, including new graphics and colour scheme. The upload screen, document list and scan result now look even better!
• Added animations to the scan process.

Version 1.1 – 19th July 2017

It might not be a glamourous as some of our other feature-filled releases planned, but fixing bugs is always important.  We're fixing lots of bugs from our open beta test reported by all of users.

• Fixed an issue where free credits weren't always topped up at the correct time.
• Redesigned upload area to make it easier to start scanning straight away.
• Fixed some of the functionality in some versions of Internet Explorer that were having problems signing in and triggering scans.
• Fixed an issue where some failed scans would still deduct a free credit from the account.
• Increased the maximum character count on scans.

Version 1.0 – 4th April 2017

Viper Web App launches! We've finally closed off the downloadable version of Viper and migrated to our brand-new web app. Accessible anywhere in the world, from almost any device, with the Viper Web App you can conduct plagiarism scans on the go without the need to download and install software.

• We've removed the old Windows downloadable program and replaced it with a brand-new web app. By creating an account, you can access Viper and conduct free scans whenever and wherever you like.
• Introduced a brand-new upload box to scan your documents. Simply drag and drop your file or select it from your computer to upload it. You can even scan multiple documents at once!
• Added a 'documents' view that stores all your documents and scans together in the order you scanned them.
• Added a dedicated support section containing help articles and guides to using Viper.