Mobile messaging giant Line has updated its existing iPhone app to cater for iPad users too.
The iPad-optimized incarnation of the app sports several of the same features as its smaller-screened cousin, including making calls, sending messages, and having video chats. However, there are key omissions — you can’t use Line’s mobile-payment service Line Pay, search for friends by phone number, buy themes or stickers, or place phone calls to standard telephone numbers (landline or mobile).
For the uninitiated, Line is a Japan-based company that rose to prominence back in 2011 for its WhatsApp-style messaging app. Today it claims north of 200 million monthly active users (MAU) in more than 200 countries, though the majority of these exist across a few countries in Asia. The company has long branched out into other services too, including mobile payments, taxis, and other standalone apps.
Line actually launched a separate iPad incarnation last October, and it appears this will remain in the App Store moving forward. This may cause some confusion among those searching for the tablet version of the app, particularly as they aren’t the same thing. Indeed, there are some key restrictions on the standalone version: it can only be used if you’ve already set up an account on the iPhone version, while voice and video calls aren’t allowed. In effect, it is a stripped down, minimalist app for those simply looking to send messages to friends while slouching on the sofa.
It’s difficult to see what appeal there would be with the old iPad app now that there is a universal version available. Indeed, you can even create a new account straight from your iPad, something that’s not possible on the older tablet version.
With the Facebook-owned WhatsApp recently ditching its subscription fee to increase uptake around the world, apps such as Line could eventually succumb to the omnipresence of Facebook and its far-reaching claws. However, Line is immensely popular in a few big markets. And with near fully featured cross-platform apps covering phones, PCs, and tablets, it still holds some significant differentiators over its big-name counterparts in the West.