Owning a Win laptop, I would like to open a Line account, but don't have...

Tercera_Edad · July 23

...a 'smartphone' required for that - and quite consciously don't want one .)

Is this setting known to any of the honoured forum members?

I read that it would be sufficient to do the registration using an s-phone, from then on rely on the laptop:
https://help.line.me/line/desktop/?contentId=50001182

(pls copy/paste, can't see how to produce with reasonable time effort a clickable link)

This poses the question if a combination of my data and someone else's phone number is practically doable? Of course, one does not want to henceforth become some kind of 'digital twin' - the phone owner receiving messages directed to me.

Another option could be to use a SIM of mine for this process in his phone, but who could be willing to perform a 10-min SIM swap?

Would there be a realistic workaround, and what could it consist of?

topt · July 23

6 hours ago, Tercera_Edad said:

Would there be a realistic workaround, and what could it consist of?

I don't think so - but happy to be proved wrong by someone else.

Also if you ever had an issue you would probably need access on a phone to resolve it.

Someone else's phone - if they already have Line then I don't think that will work unless it can be installed in some sort of separate 'work' profile or similar.

Tercera_Edad · July 23

That might be the case - or it might not. I would actually have preferred to meet someone who himself has gone through this situation. But it doesn't seem to be my lucky day. And that day started the moment the new owners chose to shut down Skype, which was simply perfect...

Ralf001 · July 23

Maybe try an android emulator on the laptop.

topt · July 23

1 hour ago, Tercera_Edad said:

That might be the case - or it might not. I would actually have preferred to meet someone who himself has gone through this situation. But it doesn't seem to be my lucky day. And that day started the moment the new owners chose to shut down Skype, which was simply perfect...

What has Skype got to do with Line?

Plenty of other VoIP based PC solutions to replace Skype if that is what you are referring to otherwise no idea what you are talking about.....

MarkBR · July 23

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Maybe try an android emulator on the laptop.

Might be a reasonable idea - Not sure whether it would work with LINE though. You need a software competent person to advise you (Not Me).

Tercera_Edad · July 23

Ralf001
Thanks, this seemed to work - to a degree, at least. Yet I gave it up, will stick to what I know works well and reject s-phone aficionados.

topt
Yours sounds like some kind of trick question. You may have read it before (different thread), and I will use the opportunity again to state, that american products (or such 'emulating' what is usual there) may be 'innovative' (manic-raging innovation, to be exact), but they simply lack the quality that excels products from certain european nations. And in this context, Skype vs Line (both some kind of messengers & co) appears like a suitable parable. - I will return to my work now, won't follow this thread, not least because I'm not notified of new posts.

Freddy42OZ · August 1

On 7/23/2025 at 7:21 PM, Tercera_Edad said:

That might be the case - or it might not. I would actually have preferred to meet someone who himself has gone through this situation. But it doesn't seem to be my lucky day. And that day started the moment the new owners chose to shut down Skype, which was simply perfect...

If you don't want to use a smartphone then you can't expect to use smartphone apps.

The fact that you can open line in a browser on a laptop doesn't mean anything when the authentication has to be done on a smartphone, because every LINE account is registered to a specific phone number.

Just buy the cheapest sh**ty smart phone, register for LINE, add the LINE Extension to your laptop's browser, login using the phone. Then turn the phone off, chuck it in a drawer and only get it out if you accidentally log out of LINE on the laptop.

GreasyFingers · August 1

I have LINE on my laptop and phone but cannot make calls as they want to control the phone & record all conversations and want access to my contacts. I have not been able to contact all of my contacts to see if they agree to me giving their details to LINE.

thayroopthai · August 1

From what Line has posted online, you must have created the account on a phone or tablet, first. If you do that then you can use the account on a pc.

DezLez · August 1

If you don't have access to a phone why not find a friend who does not have Line installed and get them to set one up for you there and then do the laptop, verify on the friends phone. then see what happens if you delete the phone app once you have it working!

topt · August 1

28 minutes ago, DezLez said:

If you don't have access to a phone why not find a friend who does not have Line installed and get them to set one up for you there and then do the laptop, verify on the friends phone. then see what happens if you delete the phone app once you have it working!

And if he needs to verify at any point in the future on the registered mobile number...........

JohnCaston · August 1

Mb try Bluestack or smth?

DezLez · August 1

57 minutes ago, topt said:

And if he needs to verify at any point in the future on the registered mobile number...........

Get his friend to reinstall the app!

In all the years I have had Line I have never had to verify after the first installation on my Desk top and laptop!

Mutt Daeng · August 3

On 8/1/2025 at 7:04 PM, DezLez said:

If you don't have access to a phone why not find a friend who does not have Line installed and get them to set one up for you there and then do the laptop, verify on the friends phone. then see what happens if you delete the phone app once you have it working!

Exactly what I was about to suggest before I read your post.

MarkyM3 · August 3

What a bizarre thread. These apps are designed to work with smartphones. The desktop app needs to be paired to a smartphone number and not for 5 minutes...

As for Skype, you can use Teams or any number of other desktop apps which all offer VoIP calls. If you need to call a landline or mobile from your desktop, there will options.

Regards the OP comment about innovation and quality, bit ironic if you're using a Windows laptop with Skype software. Microsoft, love or loathe them, are based in Oregon, USA 😄

As for Line, it's Japanese. Nothing amazing about it, it's unknown outside Asia. Unfortunately, they have deployed a great "innovation" whereby you can't look for users in a certain country such as Thailand unless you have an account that was also registered with a SIM in that country. So I now have 2 accounts, my original UK one and a shadow account that I registered with my Thai SIM. What I can say is my Thai SIM no longer works but the shadow LINE account does. However, whether that would work on desktop who knows and if you're asked to re-pair/verify with your mobile, you're stuffed.

PoorSucker · August 3

On 7/23/2025 at 7:26 PM, Ralf001 said:

Maybe try an android emulator on the laptop.

That's a WinAgo

topt · August 3

20 minutes ago, MarkyM3 said:

Microsoft, love or loathe them, are based in Oregon, USA 😄

Headquartered in Redmond, Washington US I believe - not that far off...... :smile:

MarkyM3 · August 3

8 minutes ago, topt said:

Headquartered in Redmond, Washington US I believe - not that far off......

Yeah my bad 😄 Was thinking of another US company for some reason

gamb00ler · August 3

Here's a thought. If @Tercera_Edad has a Thai sim he could go to one of those small smartphone shops and ask them to borrow/rent a smartphone for a few minutes, put his Thai sim in the borrowed phone, install the app and register using his Thai #, receive the SMS verification code and complete the LINE verification process. Make sure to also set up and verify your email because that is how you will log into LINE on your computer. Then return the phone to the shop owner/worker. Perhaps the owner/worker will perform the entire operation for him. If the OP needs to receive an SMS from LINE in the future he should be able to do that with a dumb phone also.

AI says:

While you need a phone number to initially create a LINE account, you can use the app on a computer or tablet without a phone afterward. You can log in using your registered email address or Facebook account. [1, 2, 3]

Here's a breakdown of how to use LINE without a phone after initial setup:

1. Account Creation:

Initial Setup: You'll need a phone number to initially create a LINE account. This is typically done on a smartphone. [1, 3]
Alternative Account Creation: If you don't have a smartphone, you can use an Android emulator like BlueStacks or YouVersion to create an account. [1, 3]
Alternative Verification: You may also be able to create an account by linking your Facebook account, Apple ID, or Google account, depending on your region. [1, 2]

2. Logging In on Other Devices:

LINE for PC: You can download the LINE app for PC (Windows or macOS) and log in with your registered email address and password. [1, 1, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
LINE for Chrome: Alternatively, you can use the LINE extension for Chrome. [4, 4]
Tablets: If you have a tablet, you can download the LINE app and log in using your credentials. [4, 9, 9]
QR Code Login: LINE also allows you to log in via QR code, which you can generate from your phone and scan with the computer or tablet. [10, 10, 11]

3. Using LINE without a Phone Number:

Email Registration: After creating an account, you can register an email address to use as an alternative login method. This is especially useful if you plan to use LINE primarily on a computer. [1, 1, 2, 2, 4, 12, 12, 13]
Facebook, Apple ID, or Google Account Login: If you registered your account with one of these methods, you can use them to log in on other devices. [1, 1, 2, 2, 10, 10]

Important Notes:

You cannot create a new LINE account directly from the LINE for PC app. [1, 4]
If you're using a shared computer, remember to log out of your LINE account after each use. [4]
While you can use LINE without a phone number after initial setup, you may need a phone to receive verification codes for certain actions like password resets or account recovery. [1, 5]