Line (appendix): reviews

Messengers are gradually replacing social networks, people are getting used to communicating and exchanging information within more simple and mobile applications. It's funny, but these messengers are gradually turning into social networks, from time to time borrowing functions from large, now overloaded services like Facebook and VKontakte.

Examples of mass: WhatsApp is increasingly focused on capturing video and photos, Telegram implements microblogging and the ability to make purchases within the application, and so on. The product of the Chinese company Line was not an exception.

The mobile application Line is a classic messenger, microblogging (like "Twitter"), cloud storage (like Dropbox) and some kind of Instagram analog. About this Frankenstein and will be discussed in this material.

How to download and start using?

As with any advanced messenger (WhatsApp does not count), developers have taken care of creating clients for all existing platforms. For example, the Line application for the computer exists in three variations: for macOS (distributed in the Mac App Store), for Windows (available for download on the official site) and for the Google Chrome browser (available in the Chrome app store). The messenger client for Apple's mobile gadgets can be found in the AppStore. The Line application for Android can be downloaded from the official Google Play store or found on the Internet as an APK file.

At the first start-up, a window appears prompting the user to authorize. There are two ways at once: either enter your phone number and receive a confirmation code, or log in using your Facebook profile.

Application interface

The program interface is divided into five main windows:

• The first window is the address book.
• The second window is the actual conversations.
• The third window is a conditional tape with news.
• The fourth window is access to audio calls.
• The fifth window is the service menu.

The first window contains all your contacts. At the top - those who have already installed Line and with whom you can start communication here and now. Below - all the others whose numbers you have, but who do not yet use Line. When you click on the person's name, his own profile opens, where you can start communication.

In the second window there is a list of active chats. Nothing special, a banal chat. No extra elements and shortcuts. There is an opportunity to send stickers (where without them in 2017).

In the third window you can see the latest news of your contacts and official accounts of various companies and stars. In this improvised tape you can share your ideas, files, music, fresh photos and videos. Working with tags and mentions using the @ (dog) symbol is supported. People can gather in groups and conduct joint blogs.

The fourth window is completely devoted to calls. From here, you can call any of the contacts that use Line.

The fifth window focused all the settings, as well as links to additional applications related to Line and complementing it.

Stickers and themes

In the service menu (in the very fifth window) there are two links to sticker stores and themes. In general, stickers are almost the only way to monetize instant messengers. The same situation is observed in Line. Animation characters, sets of letters, jokes and just cult symbols of modernity can now be sent instead of text, but for this you have to pay (though a little). Be careful: if you buy one set of stickers, you will want to buy more and more.

If you want to personalize Line a little more, you can open a shop for themes. There are so many visual themes that radically change the way the program looks.

Official accounts

As in many other messengers, Line has channels of popular brands, stars and media personalities. These channels are divided into various categories, for example official channels Line, where you can find the latest news about the updates of the application. Also there are channels of well-known brands of fast food, where SMM of these companies write about all kinds of promotions and replenishment of the assortment. There are channels also for clothing stores, book shops and others. Musicians conduct their own blogs, where they talk about their plans, give references to merchandise and report on the closest concerts around the world. The design of these blogs is not limited to messages, as, for example, in Telegram. These are full-fledged pages with a unique layout, where information is presented in the most digestible form. Users subscribed to brands and stars can participate in discussions, leave their own comments and share notes with their friends. All as in other social networks and popular instant messengers.

Additional applications

Developers Line decided not to stop at the messenger and created several separate programs that complement it (they can work separately, but they are tied to the Line account).

One such program is the utility B612. This is a special application that helps you change the pictures you take. Ideal for those who like to attach to their faces hats, masks and other unusual attributes.

For those who like to use fashionable filters in the style of Instagram, there is a Line Camera application. Here nothing fundamentally new to us is offered, this application generally differs little from the camera built into the phone. The only difference is the integration with other Line services.

Another additional application is the Keep file storage. This is your personal space, where you can send various files, including music, documents, voice messages and more. There are going to files that were sent to you in Line, and those that you put there yourself.

Reviews

The Line application receives mostly positive ratings from users. The rating is kept at the level of 4 points in all popular application stores. People like the speed of the messenger, its convenience and simple interface. Pleases users and a large audience, which allows you not to rush between messengers, when you need to go out with someone to contact. Most often, of course, praise the application and services that are tied to Line, as they allow you to diversify communication and share content in a new way. Of the minuses, there are unstable work on some models of phones running "Android" and a bad connection due to the recent limitations of messenger on the territory of the Russian Federation.