LINE has hit its third 100 million user mark in just four months, signifying the breakneck pace at which the Japanese messaging app is taking over the world with its collection of kawaii emoticons.
The app surpassed 300 million registered users worldwide, up from 200 million in July, Line announced at a press conference in Tokyo. It took only 19 months for Line to achieve its first 100 million users since it was launched in Japan in 2011.
“We’re aiming for 500 million users in 2014,” Line CEO Akira Morikawa was quoted as saying by CNET Japan.
Line, which offers free communication, is competing against similar apps such as Whatsapp and China-based Tencent’s WeChat. Both apps have passed 300 million users.
Line has appealed to relatively younger user-base through its plethora of cute and charming stickers that can be added into conversations using the app.
Despite Line’s success based on the recent figures, it is imperative to note that it reports only registered users rather than monthly active users, says analysts. The firm reported the latter for its home market of Japan, which is generally considered a far more reliable metric for measuring the popularity of the app.
Line’s latest report include those who may have installed the app and never used it again or those who are using the service on different devices.
Still, Line has enjoyed a “strong foothold” in East Asia as well as steady growth in Spanish-speaking regions such as Spain, Mexico and Latin America.
Line has also claimed to have gained 10 million users in India in just three months. The app maker expects 20 million Indian users by the end of the year.
By Maesie Bertumen
