Back in the day when voice messaging apps were first introduced to the market, people were excited.
The idea of making calls from a mobile phone using data was just too interesting to pass up. Suddenly, there were many other apps with the same features available. This turn of events changed messaging forever.
Sure, computers had such services like MSN, Google Talk and Yahoo! However, there was something different about these mobile voice messaging apps that was different. All a person needed was to possess a compatible smartphone and voila! You could join in the experience. Here is a comparison of two of the most famous voice messaging services – LINE and WeChat.
LINE
If you are a first time LINE user, the app will automatically detect your phone number or the phone number of the device you are using, after installation. You can connect LINE to Facebook to find friends. However, most people use LINE with their mobile phonebooks.
Once you have installed LINE in your phone, you will be required to give your number. Once you have done this, a verification code will be sent to your phone. Key-in the verification code, when prompted. Thereafter, you will be redirected to a screen that allows you to set your privacy level.
One of the things that have made people criticize LINE is its email registration page. This is where you require a password and username. Although you can still register later, you will need your password and username to access your LINE account. Luckily, there is a simple way to go about it – just tie your LINE account with your Facebook account.
LINE generates some of its revenue from paid calls. When making a call via LINE you have the pre-pay option of payment or a plan that gives you a fixed number of calls to make every 30 days.
This instant messaging app is fast growing, in popularity, in many countries. It is, however, most popular in China as it has over 400 million active users each month. Even though instant messaging is its core function, it does have photo sharing, profile pages and other apps that resemble features found in Facebook. WeChat also has an advertising service – this is one of its sources of revenue.
One question that many people have had, when it comes to popular instant messaging apps like LINE and WeChat is – could these apps ever become major platforms for advertising, like Google and Facebook? It looks like they might one day be. For example, LINE has a monthly fee it collects, from different firms in Korea, which have official LINE accounts.
The WeChat advertising service is, however, slightly different. The ads it promotes are not distributed to its users in the form of instant messages. They can be seen at the bottom side of all corporate pages.
Conclusion
It is too early to tell which instant messaging app, between WeChat and LINE, is better as both are still undergoing transformation.
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