Instant messaging app Line has released a new version that introduces support for video calls.
According to Line, the video call function is available on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, allowing users to make free peer to peer video calls between supported devices.
Line clarifies that video calls will be supported over both Wi-Fi and 3G networks and that customers can also switch between video and voice anytime during the call.
The new version of Line also adds a feature called Snap Movie that lets users take short video clips of up to 10 seconds, arrange them with their choice of background music and share with friends. Users will get 9 different background songs to choose from, and the company intends to roll out more tracks to fit a wide variety of situations and scenes.
The Snap Movie feature has been released only on iPhone devices, though the company plans to bring it to the Android version, in the future.
Line informs that users can also post the short videos to their Home and Timeline, where they will automatically play on a loop, similar to Vine and Instagram. Automatic playback can be turned off via the settings and Android devices will only support the playback function on OS versions 4.0 and above.
Following the introduction of video calling, Line will be able to offer almost all features that some of its rivals offer. It competes with other P2P mobile messengers such as WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, WeChat and Hike, but its USP has been stickers and voice chat features.
The Line app was
officially launched in India in July, and the company claimed to have 5 million registered users in the country within three weeks.
Line claims to have 200 million registered users worldwide, as on July 21, 2013, and says that 80.4 percent among these are monthly active users. The app is available on all major mobile OS platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry.