Kuala Lumpur (13 October 2014) – LINE, the world’s leading mobile platform with 560 million users, has announced new services and features at its LINE Conference Tokyo 2014. The conference also included several announcements such as:
- A breakthrough of over 560 million global users
- 170 million monthly active users (MAU) globally
- New business ideas and services under the theme of “Life”, which will integrate LINE into the daily lives of users by bridging the gap between the online and offline world
Among one of the key services that will see a global debut, including Malaysia, will be LINE Pay, which is a payment system that allows users to pay for a variety of services using the LINE app on their iPhone or Android smartphones. This includes LINE and related services, associated stores, web services and apps. Payment is made by linking credit cards to the apps. The unique pay system also enables users to split purchase price of goods and services among their LINE friends by using the “Share Payment” feature.
To ensure a safe and secure payment for users, three security measures will be set in place such as: a separate password from LINE to act as a secondary verification; fingerprint verification via Apple Touch ID (iPhone only) is required to view the password; and compulsory smartphone verification to use the PC site.
The feature is planned for a late 2014 release and payment options will be available first for LINE and related web services and apps with further expansion into offline shops planned in the future.
Mobile gamers will also have plenty to look forward to, as LINE GAME will be bringing a slew of titles to diversify its line up to cater to everyone. The following titles are set to be released soon:
- LINE POP 2 (Puzzle)
- LINE Puzzle Trio (Puzzle)
- LINE Chronicles of Albion (Strategy RPG)
- LINE Legion of Heroes (Strategy RPG) and more
LINE will also be working with its partners such as GREE, INC and Cyber Agent, Inc. to speed up the expansion of their businesses and bring high-quality Japanese gaming content to players around the world. LINE has also announced Translimit Inc. as the first recipient for LINE’s investment fund, LINE Game Global Gateway. Famed for developing the competitive thinking game “BrainWars”, Translimit Inc. will be taking its game development prowess and partnering with LINE’s extensive global user base to develop new exciting game content which will be released in the near future.
LINE is committed to continue to improve and increase the level of convenience it offers to its users by developing its services around these new features.
LINE also shared some of its upcoming services in Japan including, LINE TAXI, a service allowing users to call a taxi anytime, anywhere, from within the LINE app or by using the LINE TAXI official account; LINE WOW, LINE’s first ever food delivery service will be offering deliveries in the Shibuya District of Tokyo; LINE@ID, which is a separate LINE account that will open doors to users and corporations who do not have a physical shop to communicate and post information to customers; LINE Maps for Indoor, a map application only available on Android that specialises in navigating through commercial buildings in almost 40 locations in Tokyo; LINE Music[1], a music streaming service established by avex digital Inc., Sony Music Entertainment, Inc., and LINE Corporation; LINE Official Blogs, a blog service allowing artists and celebrities to conduct wide-ranging promotions and merchandising; and LINE Paid Official Accounts, an avenue for artists and celebrities to share exclusive information to subscribers of their official accounts.
