This article was published on April 18, 2012

Japanese messaging app Line passes 30 million registered users, sees 10 million downloads in 6 weeks


Japanese messaging app Line passes 30 million registered users, sees 10 million downloads in 6 weeks

It’s been a busy last month or so for Japan-based mobile messaging service Line, which has announced that it has seen 10 million new downloads since April, taking its total number of registered users past the 30 million mark.

We last covered the service in early April, when its original messaging app for Android and iOS hit 20 million downloads. In the proceeding month, the company has been busy growing its reach with the extension of the app beyond smartphones through the release of a number of complementary apps.

Earlier this month, NHN, the firm behind the app, took Line beyond smartphones with the launch of a PC/Mac client and a Web-based service for tablets. Users of the new access points, both of which were launched in early April, are still required to sign up to the app, but can now enjoy increased access to the Line service.

NHN says that the new additions have helped it continue to grow at a rate of 1 million new downloads per week globally, and that has seen it pass 30 million user registrations just 10 months after launch.

That growth has already seen Line hit 20 million downloads before a number of better know sites and services, and NHN hasn’t stopped there.

NHN expanded its offering beyond the mobile messaging app with the introduction of two new apps that take Line into new areas. The company, which is the Japanese affiliate of Korean Web giant Naver, introduced greeting card app ‘Line Card’ (for Android and iOS) and Android-only Instagram-like ‘Line Camera’ earlier this month.

The new additions have continued its popularity with the free apps proving to be a success worldwide, particularly in Asia. Line Card’s 1.5 million downloads saw it become the top free app in the App Store across five countries, while Line Camera was Google Play’s number one camera app in 15 countries, having seen 1.1 million downloads.

With Android, iOS, tablets, PCs and Macs now all covered by NHN, and two additional apps out on the market, we are expecting to see a less frantic period from the company as it looks to scale its services up across the globe.

➤ Line [App Store/Google Play] | Line Card [App Store/Google Play] | Line Camera [Google Play]

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.