Talk:Line (software)

Available in 230 countries?

Yeah, I see that it's sourced: to Line's own website! Since there are only 206 sovereign states in the world, where are the other 24, Venus?

Interesting, too, that Japanese felt the need to "develop" software that does what lots of other instant messaging programs have long done, too. I guess the existing ones had some sort of defect that made them incompatible with Japanese voices, which (like everything else to do with Japan) are uniquely unique, right? Jim_Lockhart (talk) 10:55, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

I would speculate it's only available in some technical sense that you can download it to your smartphone and it will run. However the support is extremely minimal. There are a lot of books about Line in Japanese (mostly from third parties, it seems), but essentially nothing in English (and probably less than that in other languages). I've been using the app for some years on several smartphones, and have also used the Windows and Mac OS versions, but I still can't tell if they have any sincere international ambitions or if they just say that as a marketing ploy to pique the interest of some young Japanese people. (I'd love to hear about some useful English resources. This Wikipedia Article explains only a small bit of the program, but it's better than anything else I've found in English.) Shanen (talk) 19:35, 21 April 2020 (UTC)

Realized ... what?

"NHN Japan realized how inconvenient the damaged communication system was and discovered that a data service would work and be more efficient."

If NHN Japan "realized" that after 3/11, that only means they were horribly out of touch beforehand. Everyone else already knew data would be more efficient. Actually, Naver still has the same problem the phone network has -- a central point of failure located within Japan. But that's off topic. What's on topic is that they "discovered" something everyone already knew. Sounds like bad advertising language. --Orcrist (talk) 09:38, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

Similar software

I realize this list could probably go on forever, but shouldn't Skype be listed, as one of the big players in IM / VOIP? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.91.183.238 (talk) 17:50, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

The apps there are specifically designed for mobile phones, unlike Skype which was designed for desktops and still currently revolves around that setup. YuMaNuMa ^Contrib 03:16, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Skype is of course as available on phones as on the desktop, so the above isn't really true. On the Nokia N900, for example, Skype is fully integrated with the phone functionality itself: GSM, SIP and Skype functions are equivalent as far as the phone is concerned. TArntsen (talk) 15:46, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

74 million

As of November, 2012, Line claimed more than 74 million users worldwide in over 230 countries.[10] (though only 206 countries are generally recognized). this should be removed because the source is now showing 150 million instead. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kuwaity26 (talk • contribs) 13:51, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

I removed the entire clause on the number of countries as it's obviously incorrect however you look at it (sovereign states + non-sovereign states, either or none). I don't believe this constitutes WP:OR as it's an obvious error on their part. YuMaNuMa ^Contrib 14:26, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

I meant "Line claimed more than 74 million users worldwide" should be removed because of the source. --Kuwaity26 (talk) 12:24, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Line version history

I suggest to have Line version history article like Android version history.Manzzzz^(talk) 03:00, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Competition

I'm thinking of moving recently added information about Line's competition into the respective comparison article. -Mardus (talk) 14:32, 16 November 2013 (UTC)

Split section

Line have been made their characters into two animation, Line Offine and Line Town. Both animation has its popularity, and I'm sure both animation needs separate articles.--John123521 (Talk-Contib.) RA 07:13, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

I just declined Draft:Line Town for a lack of references (and by extension, lack of notability). If the draft can be improved to the point where it is accepted, then clearly the subsections on this article can be removed/merged onto that page. However, at this time these sections should stay where they are. Primefac (talk) 21:41, 17 September 2016 (UTC)

Market Share

The Market Share subheading doesn't actually show any kind of market share (in percentage term, in relation to other chat applications). 110.169.12.218 (talk) 01:20, 6 March 2016 (UTC)

Line available as a website (non-browser-app)

At one point Line was available as a website (non-browser-app), but that has been discontinued. 

On https://timeline.line.me/ one can access all but chats. Jidanni (talk) 00:03, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

What does "website (non-browser-app)" mean? "Non-browser" means without using a browser? How does one access a website without a browser? -- HLachman (talk) 05:35, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

The browser interface still exists and is functional, but minimally. I just did a QR code login and shared an article back to the Timeline on my smartphone. My feeling is that they implemented an API, but never did much with it, though it's still available. The application versions for Windows and Mac OS probably got the developmental resources, and they are definitely much more capable than the browser interface. Shanen (talk) 19:29, 21 April 2020 (UTC)

That's fine for the "browser interface" you referenced. But where's the so-called "non-browser" interface referenced in the article? -- HLachman (talk) 09:59, 28 April 2020 (UTC)

External links modified

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Searching for users (without age verification)?

Probably my main pain point with Line has been the inability to search for people, even if I know their phone numbers. Not even certain, but I think it's because I don't have age verification. I never figured out why Docomo couldn't do it. Apparently had something to do with my discount contract? Now I'm using a different carrier (J:Com) that runs via KDDI, and apparently neither of them can verify my age. I've also tried to ask about it at the local Line Friends store. (There are many book about Line, but all the ones I've seen so far are in Japanese, and my Japanese reading is not so great, so I haven't found any answers that way.) The Article doesn't say anything at all about the search capabilities. An explanation would be nice, even if there's no fix available. (I can add "friends" by the various other mechanisms, but just can't search for them.) Shanen (talk) 19:50, 21 April 2020 (UTC)

Rationale for development of LINE messenger and timeline seems misrepresented?

The article suggests that LINE development was started as a response to the 2011 earthquake. However, the presented timeline seems highly unrealistic. I assume that development was started long before the earthquake. I don't have a source, but this Reddit post seems to agree.

Suggestion: Clarify when/why development was started and how the earthquake changed the timeline/direction of the project.

Authoritarian Contributor (talk) 01:10, 16 February 2021 (UTC)

I looked through various sources concerning this, and yes, the wording in the Reuters article that originated this storyline appears to be mythmaking or artistic license. Forbes gives a much more nuanced, detailed, and reliable history of the origin, complete with names and quotes and so forth. It's clear other messaging services such as KakaoTalk already existed in Japan prior to the earthquake. It's also clear that Naver/NHN already had a messaging app (in South Korea) that wasn't doing so well. Here is the Forbes article [1], or the similar version in Forbes India, if that link isn't readable for you: [2]. I have now added this more detailed information into the body text, and will edit the article's intro (lead) to reflect the facts rather than the rosy myth. 24.90.127.29 (talk) 02:28, 22 November 2021 (UTC)

Edits of 25 March 2021

In the edits of 25 March 2021, material was removed without explanation, and material was added without citations. Some of the added text contains numbers in brackets ("[110] [111]", and "[106] [112]") for no apparent reason. Can someone knowledgeable on this subject matter review those edits? -- HLachman (talk) 03:48, 19 May 2021 (UTC)

I have copyedited, cleaned up, corrected, and cited that material from reliable sources now. 24.90.127.29 (talk) 02:19, 22 November 2021 (UTC)

LINE or Line?

Sources in the article seem to have a mix of both "LINE" and "Line", and the apps and website seem to primarily use "LINE". Which should be used throughout the article, and which should be used in the title? Bsoyka (talk · contribs) 04:48, 20 November 2021 (UTC)

I have a concern about readability for the Wikipedia reader; I for one find it very hard to read this article when nearly every sentence has a word in all caps. which is jarring. The "LINE" also seems extremely promotional (like shouting). Also, the vast majority of independent reliable sources use Line rather than LINE, probably for the same reasons. App stores and such use the all caps, but those listings are not independent and the use of the logo all-caps on those is for marketing and clarity. In my own mind, when reducing the all caps in this article, I settled on leaving the all caps in the brand items like LINE Pay and such. (But even those could be lowercase; they are lowercase in the section headers.) One other factor is that there is Line Corporation (obviously lowercase) and then their product, Line (software) (this article). I personally would like to have less of a headache and distraction reading this article than having all caps in nearly every sentence. I'd also like to make the article internally consistent in some way rather than two different styles. Anyway, that's my view. 24.90.127.29 (talk) 05:26, 20 November 2021 (UTC)

Another thought: I have seen Wikipedia articles where the first sentence about a company or brand name says something like "Line, styled LINE, is a ...." We could do that, and then put Line in initial-cap only for the rest of the article, which would relieve the headache factor. 24.90.127.29 (talk) 05:35, 20 November 2021 (UTC)

I went ahead and did this, since nobody seems to object. 24.90.127.29 (talk) 05:45, 22 November 2021 (UTC)

Terms of Use.

Kxūñ Htët 1.47.68.249 (talk) 17:44, 20 September 2022 (UTC)