LINE

by LINE Corporation for Mac OS X

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Call friends for free on any mobile device or PC

LINE is a free communications application for all kinds of devices, including smartphones, PCs, and tablets. One can use this app to communicate via texts, images, video, audio, and more. LINE also supports VoIP calling, and both audio and video conferencing. This app is supported by Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. A number of interesting features and tools make it a good software for instant communication.

What are the key features of LINE?

Imagine if FaceTime could make calls to not just iPhones but also Android, Windows, and Blackberry devices too. That’s exactly what LINE does in a slick FaceTime-style interface that’s sure to prove popular with Mac users that have friends and family using different mobile devices.

LINE is a Japanese-based app that allows you to make free calls and messages to iPhone, Android, Windows, and Blackberry phones as well as other Macs and PCs. LINE is also available for Windows, meaning Mac users can communicate with friends and family that use PCs as well as Macs. 

Call quality using LINE is pretty good though although this will depend on your internet connection and 3G network. LINE is also jam-packed with emoticons (and with the option to purchase more elaborate stickers) to make messaging more fun. This latter feature is particularly popular in Japan and has helped make it one of the most successful apps on the market.

In the 7 months since it was released in Japan, the developers claim LINE has gained over 100 million users which is pretty impressive. 

If you’re a Mac user with friends using PCs and different mobile devices, LINE is definitely worth checking out.

Now with artificial intelligence integration

OpenAI’s ChatGPT API, the most popular and widely-used artificial intelligence-based chatbot, can now be enjoyed within the LINE app. Nicknamed AI Chat-kun, the integration allows its users to enjoy the full-fledged version of the chat service without having to leave the app. Users can send in almost any command—from writing 3000-word essays, asking for advice, creating a travel itinerary, crafting email templates, looking up recipes, and so much more.

While a majority of LINE users are Japanese, the ChatGPT feature is only available in English and optimized for PCs—thus, non-English speakers and mobile users might encounter a few difficulties using the integrated AI service.

Should you use LINE?

As a fun communication application, one can surely get LINE to try it out for its amazing sticker collection, the Live TV feature, or just the friendly UI—but then you’ll also have to convince enough other people to get on board to start communicating with. This program is really popular in Japan and parts of Southeast Asia, but it is yet to capture a large market elsewhere, which is a big limitation for anyone thinking about using this as their primary messaging app like how they use Whatsapp, for instance.