LINE: Calls & Messages



Why not use a real keyboard?



There are times when you stare at your phone, messaging away and ignoring everything else. There are also times when you stare at your phone while sitting in front of your computer. Yet you can't ignore your computer, because there's important stuff happening on the screen, most of the time anyway. Well, it would be nice if all messengers were available on all platforms and relieve you of the pain of nodding involuntarily just to be updated from two screens. Luckily, LINE: Free Calls & Messages (or LINE Messenger as I like to call it) is also available for Windows and MacOS.

LINE: Free Calls & Messages

Less words = more fun!

There is a general tendency to make logging in happen quicker. LINE Messenger uses QR codes to log you in. By simply pointing the camera while in the QR code read mode, your digital persona will be transferred on the monitor and you can continue messaging using the keyboard. Hold on, LINE goes one step further. You can also use QR scanning to make friends with other devices, or alternatively you can just shake them until friendship is established (the devices I mean).

Chatting is also interesting. Besides stickers (which are not free, by the way) you can also express using a wide range of emoticons. The interesting part is that LINE invites you to use them by showing them while you type, similar to word suggestion. Hence you can begin typing with wingdings and icons in no-time, and become quite fluent in it.

Another interesting feature, although it doesn't quite fit here, is the Timeline. This is basically a social feature. Similar to a social platform, users can share statements along with media such as pictures or links that can be commented upon and "liked". Sounds nice enough except it misses it's purpose somewhat. You can visit other people's timelines but you do not receive updates when they post something new... except if you are in the same group... and even then, it's not that obvious unless the contact list is displayed. So it still needs some work.

LINE: Free Calls & Messages

Similar to WhatsApp, LINE Messenger asks for a phone number and e-mail (and verifies both), but once your account is created, your contact list might contain some friends, depending on LINE's popularity in your area. This is a pretty good way of verifying who else has it installed and, unless you're the group's trailblazer, see if all the fuss is worth it.

Other than that, LINE Messenger is a run of the mill app for chatting and calling over WiFi or your mobile data connection. The call experience is decent albeit buggy in some instances. For example it might freeze after refusing a call; but what app is perfect, eh?

Features

  • Auto-generated contact list
  • Group Messaging
  • Attachment options (at a premium)
  • Emoticons (nicely served)
  • Audio calls
  • Video calls
  • Timeline

Pros

  • Blends the WhatsApp formula with desktop based messaging
  • Easy to connect when face to face

Cons

  • The layout isn't very clear. Button positions change from screen to screen and overall it needs to be more consistent

Conclusion

LINE: Free Calls & Messages is quite alright if you live in an area where it's popular enough for you not needing to evangelize the use of it.



RELATED PROGRAMS
Our Recommendations






BarCode2D-PNG


Click stars to rate this APP!

Users Rating:  
  2.5/5     2
Editor Rating:  
  4.0/5
Downloads: 1,431
Updated At: 2024-03-27
Publisher: LINE (LY Corporation)
Operating System: Android
License Type: Free