LINE

Functional, but does not work with macOS aesthetic very well, and the UI is not carefully thought out. E.g. it becomes unusable at narrower screen sizes. Logins also do not persist very long.

I’ve been using LINE for a very long time, since I’ve been going back and forth to Japan for a very long time. Let me try to make this concise and clear. Some of these apply to other apps as well, not just LINE. 1. Signing up requires a phone number. This is a foolish constraint in 2026. I know some elderly people and younger people alike without phone numbers. Also, if someone moves to another country are they expected to never reinstall LINE or risk losing their data? My LINE account should belong to me, not my SIM. I know it is not a legal requirement, because I can sign up for Gmail and Facebook without a phone number. And it doesn’t prevent spam accounts, because there are better ways (both FB and Gmail somehow prevent spam). Anyhow, it is an unnecessary constraint that assumes the user is a vassal of LINE, rather than LINE a service beholden to the user. Every time a user has to jump through hoops to switch their LINE account to a new phone, there is a massive risk that an increasing number will simply cease putting in the effort. 2. The Mac OS app signs out CONSTANTLY. Then it requires a QR code scanned with my phone app. Seriously… CONSTANTLY. Why even have a Mac OS app when every time I go to use it I have to pick up my phone to sign back in? 3. The app is generally convoluted, and not intuitive to navigate. It really feels like a collections of features clustered together, like a pile of rocks and mud in a field. It may be called a mud pie, but it doesn’t really feel enjoyable to use. 4. I like the stickers… especially when compared to whatever Facebook has going on. 5. I often receive notifications, and can read the message in the notification, but when I open the app, the message isn’t there yet. That is BASIC functionality and they haven’t solved the issue after years. I suspect the app will eventually be usurped, even in Japan. Unfortunately the developers seem to be pulling in different directions as both a team, and against their own customers. Their directors either need to hire a UX expert, or go back to school to study UX… because LINE’s UX feels like it was slapped together as a grade 4 class project. There is a reason it has such a low App Store rating, and that spells eventual doom for it. And I won’t be sad when Japanese people eventually kick it aside, as the younger generations choose a better app that serves them and their convenience. To sum it up: If someone asks me if I have LINE, in Japan, I will respond with “Insta?”

Which connection you are asking for? I’m using the fastest internet.

Kakao Talk better. Much better. Your app currently sucks. TOTOMO WARUI!!! Only use because my family is in Japan. Why does it suck. No more USA phone verification. If you are not linked to Google or Apple you can’t log in.. Makes no Fn sense…..!!!! Even Ai thinks you guys suck..

This is another example of the 2026 black hole death trash incompetence oversaturation of tech in 2026. I cannot create an account I cannot log in to an account ever since they STUPIDLY decided to stop allowing phone number logins. It says “ooh you can only sign up with Apple or Google or email” so I sign up with Apple.. and IT SHOWS ME THE SAME SCREEN DEMANDING THAT I USE MY OLD DEVICE THAT I DO NOT HAVE. So then I think maybe it’s that account and I can sign up with Google or email. ERRR! No, it gives Apple as the only option. So I can’t do anything. Then I try to find contact. ERR!! They use the FAANG method of ZERO TO THE POWER OF 500 MILLION CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Impossible to get support. Their help center is trash. Absolutely useless. THIS APP IS TRASH and it should be and I swear I would trade my SOUL to make this happen: It’s presence on the App Store with this ridiculously HORRIBLE BROKEN UNCARING INCOMPETENT STATE is equivalent to Apple publicly endorsing Adolf Hitler.. THAT IS -> They should immediately REMOVE this TRASH from the App Store until they actually stop being the piece of trash FAANG style “no customer support. Horrible design. Doesn’t work.” Trash that it is.