Japanese messaging company Line is continuing to focus on multimedia apps after it made SnapMovie, a Vine-like feature that is part of its chat app, into a standalone download. The app is initially available for Android devices only.
The SnapMovie feature was added to Line’s messaging app — which has nearly 500 million registered users worldwide — last year, and its standalone release comes just a month after Line launched an iOS app for selfies.
Originally SnapMovie recorded videos of up to 10 seconds, but Line has now extended that to 30 seconds. That aside, the features are essentially the same: you tap the screen to record, while you can add filters and even background music to alter the final video.
The standalone app also lets you add ‘motion titles,’ which essentially allows you to annotate your creations with whatever words or phrases you wish.
Once completed, videos can be shared to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and, of course, Line. In addition to the standalone app, SnapMovie will continue to be available inside the Line app, for those that prefer the integrated experience.
There are already a plethora of video apps, not including heavyweights like YouTube, Vine or Instagram, so it remains to be seen whether SnapMovie offers enough to stand out in the crowd. Personally, I’m not a big fan of background music, text and filters in videos — it’s different for photos — but then again I doubt that I am indicative of what other (younger?) smartphone users are into.
Line is increasingly focused on capturing the youth market in the West. Both SnapMovie and the selfie app (B612) are parts of that, and Line USA executives recently told us that they have major plans for their collection of games in the US market.
As for other versions of SnapMovie: Line often releases apps and updates on Android first. Given its previous history, we can expect SnapMovie to land as a standalone app for iOS within the next month, although the company hasn’t given any indication of when it will arrive.
➤ SnapMovie for Android | Via Line blog
Headline image via ___Aleksandr___ / Shutterstock
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