The Next Standalone App from LINE Messenger is HERE

The availability of GPS on entry-tier handsets has given developers business opportunities that integrates this technology for a wide range of solutions. Location-based services (LBS) is being used by businesses across different segments for greater interaction with their customers.

One of the companies that is using this technology is mobile messenger LINE, a messaging app with a strong presence in Asia looking to make its mark in the West. The company has introduced a new standalone application to share the location of chat participants.

The app, called LINE HERE, lets users create location sharing rooms so they can share it with other people to find out where they are.

If you want someone or a group of people to know where you are, simply send them a URL through LINE, Facebook (News - Alert), or SMS. Once they download the link into their device, they will know where you are so you can track them on a map. Each session can be populated with up to 200 participants and timed so people won’t know where you are at all times.

Besides Glympse and Jink, two apps with similar functionalities, LINE Here is also facing competition from some heavy hitters such as Google Maps, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, WhatsApp and many others.

According to Catherine Shu of TechCrunch, LINE is trying to compete with Facebook Messenger, Kik, Snapchat, and WhatsApp in the U.S. in the very busy OTT space. LINE has different standalone apps with unique functionalities to differentiate itself from its competitors. As Shu mentions, it is the top messenger in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. But as the company continues to expand to the U.S. and other markets, it will find the competition much stiffer than in Asia.