With the uncertain future of WhatsApp, the need for a new, cross-platform messaging solution is apparent. The best replacement for these is LINE, a messaging program developed by a team at NHN Japan, a division of the South Korean Naver Corporation. (LINE was spun out last year to a subsidiary of Naver, appropriately called LINE Corporation.)

LINE was initially developed as a means to stay in communication after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, which damaged a great deal of the telecommunications infrastructure in Japan. After being released to the public in June 2011, the service rapidly expanded in popularity, reaching 100 million users within the first 18 months of release. LINE reached 300 million users late last year.

This rapid growth in popularity is due, to a great extent, in the ease of access and the number of platforms for which LINE is available. Unlike competing services from western firms such as WhatsApp, and BlackBerry Messenger, and from eastern firms such as KakaoTalk and Tencent’s WeChat, LINE has clients for Windows 7, Windows 8 / RT, and OS X. In addition, LINE has apps for the Nokia Asha (S40) platform, as well as Firefox OS, which is quickly proving to be an attractive option for smartphones in developing countries. Of note, third-party implementations of WhatsApp (itself a modified XMPP) were served with DMCA takedown demands earlier this year.

LINE supports instant messaging, as well as voice and video calls, optional address book syncing, and the ability to share current location, photos, videos, and music with other users. Group messaging up to 100 people at once is also supported.

You can download LINE here.

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