Line will soon partner with Groupon, Jabong.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BANGALORE: The Japanese free messaging app, Line, has crossed 30 million registered users in India after it was launched on July 2013.
Just three weeks after the launch of Line in India, the company reported that its user base had touched the five million mark. The app became popular among youth for its voice chat and sticker features, adding to the free texting option.
Line is currently available for smartphones and PCs, including iOS, Android, Nokia Asha, Windows phone, BlackBerry, Windows and Mac.
Line also announced that the company will soon partner with online retailers like Groupon and Jabong, offering users the best deals available in these sites. Line believes that the new move could elevate the user’s interest in the app. According the official release Line users in India can now register via ‘Line Rewards’ official account “to enjoy limitless rewards and exciting exclusive offers.”
Damandeep Singh Soni, a Line spokesperson, said in a statement, “In a short span of time since entering the Indian market, we have surpassed another milestone of 30 million users. Optimal user experience is in the heart of every feature that we bring for our users in India, as we make sure that our new features and services take our users beyond the usual messaging communication experience. As the leading global mobile platform, Line now offers a variety of communication, entertainment and information features for all users in India to enjoy.”
Line has also said that it has launched 72 other apps for the mobile users; the latest one being Line camera app. This June, Line apps crossed the magic figure of one billion downloads worldwide.
In the backdrop of the upcoming Diwali festival, Line has enabled Diwali stickers for its Indian users.
Line had launched a new version of the app for Apple iPad devices with optimized interface that lacks major features included in the regular download. Users cannot create a new Line account using the Line app for iPad devices. If the user is new to Line, he/she will have to use a smartphone to create one and later link it using the iPad. Also, the optimized Line app has done away with voice, video calling, Sticker Shop and Timeline features.
Line was the first launch in Japan in 2011. Within the next 18 months, Line reached 100 million users and six months after that it reached the 200 million mark. In 2013, Line became Japan’s biggest social network. As of now Line has a global user base of 560 million, out of which 160 million are active users.