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Line.com

LINE adds 2 million new users after WhatsApp outage, and rubs it in

And we mean it *really* rubbed it in.

IT TURNS OUT that more than one messaging app benefited from WhatsApp server problems last weekend.

Privacy messaging app Telegram saw just under five million sign up on that day – and just over eight million overall since the Facebook deal broke – while another rival messaging app Line, which has 360 million users globally and is popular in Asia, saw two million new members sign up in 24 hours.

Line decided to celebrate by saying why it’s a better alternative to WhatsApp and other apps, and reminding everyone how it didn’t suffer an outage while it saw an influx in sign-ups.

This outage, along with concerns over user security and privacy issues, proves why LINE is a stronger and safer alternative to WhatsApp and other mobile messaging upstarts such as Telegram.

LINE’s established base of over 360 million members globally, along with a robust and growing presence in Europe and South America, showcases why this growth spurt is even more significant. Although the platform saw a sharp increase in new subscribers and a surge of usage this weekend, LINE did not experience any outage or technical issues.

If that wasn’t enough to hammer the point home, it also includes a statement from its Euro-Americas CEO Jeanie Han, who said:

Our growth strategy has always included providing a strong network that can handle unplanned and unexpected increases in network traffic. We pride ourselves on providing a safe, secure platform that will always work when our users need it the most.

This last weekend was proof of how strong LINE can be. Even with a sudden, record-breaking increase in users and traffic, we were able to provide the best, most reliable and secure service to all our members.

It’s unlikely that such a statement or developments will worry WhatsApp. When the deal was announced, it had over 450 million monthly users. Now, it has 465 million monthly users - and 330 million daily active users so it’s still growing despite other apps benefiting.

Zuckerberg said yesterday at the Mobile World Congress keynote that he was confident the service is on course to signing up one billion users, and that “by itself, it’s worth more than $19 billion.”

Read: The knock-on effect: WhatsApp rival adds 8m users in 4 days >

Read: WhatsApp’s first move after its deal with Facebook? Adding voice calls >

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16 Comments
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    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Favourite Brian Ó Dálaigh
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    Feb 25th 2014, 2:40 PM

    Are they really benefitting from WhatsApp’s outage, or is it more that people are ditching WhatsApp since the Facebook takeover?

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    Mute Who's Yer Man
    Favourite Who's Yer Man
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    Feb 25th 2014, 3:08 PM

    I deleted my account, and the app from my phone. Barely use it as it is. Find Viber better.

    105
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    Mute The Doctor
    Favourite The Doctor
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    Feb 25th 2014, 3:50 PM

    Yeah, I only use viber. Didn’t bother even trying any other messaging app. How many different ways do I need to talk to the same people?

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    Mute N O'C
    Favourite N O'C
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    Feb 25th 2014, 4:28 PM

    Had both WhatsApp and Viber for a couple of years. When Viber added text messaging (was originally just voice) stopped using WhatsApp altogether.

    42
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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Feb 25th 2014, 3:42 PM

    The stock valuations of these tech companies make no sence ! Twitter never has made a profit and is worth billions !

    45
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    Mute Chloe Grant
    Favourite Chloe Grant
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    Feb 25th 2014, 2:55 PM

    Never heard of LINE don’t know why they’re bragging. Left whatsapp for viber a long time ago. Joining with Facebook will mean constant technical problems problems

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    Mute Jay C.
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    Feb 25th 2014, 3:26 PM

    Currently working in S.E. Asia here, Whatsapp is almost nonexistent – Line has pretty much obtained market saturation. It’s a big world out there buddy, and Ireland is a very small pixel in the picture.

    Just sayin’

    ;)

    113
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    Mute Chloe Grant
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    Feb 25th 2014, 3:28 PM

    Understand that… Just stating I’ve never heard of them….. Buddy….

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    Mute Jay C.
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    Feb 25th 2014, 3:36 PM

    Well you said you don’t know why they’re bragging… Well, 340+ million users and 0 network problems, (ever, in my experience). Facebook buys Whatsapp and an outage occurs within hours.

    That’s the reason they were braggin’

    :)

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    Mute Ciaran De Ceol
    Favourite Ciaran De Ceol
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    Feb 26th 2014, 1:08 AM

    Yep. Any Korean or Japanese person I’ve met here in Asia seem to never even have heard of Viber or Whatsapp. LINE is massive. I prefer it to Viber which I use for my Irish friends. I’d recommend to give it a try.

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
    Favourite Bilbo Baggins
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    Feb 26th 2014, 1:30 AM

    Ah jasus there’s messaging app fanboi’s now…

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    Mute Ciaran De Ceol
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    Feb 26th 2014, 10:11 AM

    No point in staying with a service when there is a better one out there for free.

    1
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    Mute Vic
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    Feb 25th 2014, 7:29 PM

    Viber is so laggy I can’t deal with it. Whatsapp is miles better but now I wonder about privacy now that fb have taken over. No doubt in a few weeks we’ll notice ‘pages you might like suggestions’ will be relevant to private conversations had with mates on what’s app.

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    Mute Martin J. McCarthy
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    Feb 25th 2014, 11:03 PM

    I’m no expert but I would expect people to bounce around from one free app to the next. It takes seconds and groups can reform in no time. Facebook will try to cull or own any threat to its platform, which I have to say, for me is becoming less interesting every day.

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    Mute Michael Hickey
    Favourite Michael Hickey
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    Feb 25th 2014, 11:00 PM

    My daughter in Japan told us about Line over two years ago and we use it all the time, it is a superb messaging and call service, very clear with no delay between Ireland and Japan.

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    Mute Mohd Anwar
    Favourite Mohd Anwar
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    Mar 28th 2014, 10:24 AM

    LOVE IS LIFE

    1
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