The Line app may not be known by all Americans households, but that is starting to change. As of June, the chat app reached 470 million users globally, compared to 300 million in November. That number jumped by 100 million in just six months of last year. Many users are from Japan, where the app was created.
In addition, as of April the communication made via Line “skyrocketed,” the company said in a statement. Since January, records were set for daily use of chat messages (10 billion a day), sticker messages (1.8 billion a day), and phone calls (over 12 million a day). In addition, the number of downloads globally for Line or Line-family apps passed one billion on June 21.
Basically, it is an app for instant messaging (IM). It also can be used on smartphones and personal computers. The app lets users make free Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, and they can also use it to send audio, text messages, graphics, and video. It additionally can be used when setting up audio or video conferences.
One other option is Line Premium Call, which lets users make domestic and international phone calls to landlines and mobile phones at what the company has called “highly affordable rates.”
In a recent blog post, The Fuse Joplin noted that present features for voice and video calling are available for iPhones, Android (News - Alert) operating system devices, Windows devices and for Macs.
One of the apps’ key attributes is how much fun it is, as well as being very convenient. When sending messages, users can deploy colorful icons, photos, stickers and emoji. Stickers are available from the sticker shop, which include famous characters found globally, the blog post said. Many of the stickers are free of charge. Ten-second videos, made with the Snap Movie feature, lets users send out brief films to friends. Official Accounts allow users to get messages from a celebrity – much like how celebrities now tweet to their fans. Still another noteworthy benefit is the Timeline (News - Alert) feature, which keeps friends aware of what you have been doing. It allows for the use of photos or text, and users can add movies and stickers, as well as provide info about one’s location, the blog post explained.
Another example of its convenience is how one Line account can be used for a mobile device and for several desktop computers. But the same account cannot be used for several mobile devices, The Fuse Joplin explained.
It seems Line is so popular it got the interest of authorities in China. They blocked it in July. Line is not alone; Facebook, Twitter (News - Alert) and Google are also blocked in China, according to the International Business Times.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson