Line App changing USA and Thai SIMs with PC version also in use

[chubby]

hello, I have a DTAC Sim, with 60 precious contacts on Line , gathered , it seems though to be currently tied to my USA mobile phone number, with is not longer valid, I have used the PC app version all along.

I am concerned, that when I return to the USA in 5 weeks, that when I pull the Thai Sim, and get a new USA SIM, that is not associated with the old USA numbers, that I may lose all my precious Line App contacts.

I have read that perhaps if I don't register a new number, I won't lose apps, but I don't have access to the old USA phone number any more , so it won't be associated with any active number, unless its the new USA number...

or does using the PC app , make it so, I can't lose my mobile APP contacts, because the PC app is linked to an email address ....

I just wish there was some way to back up these contacts, other than asking each person for their phone numbers.......... etc...

[MilesofSmiles]

Make your account using an email address to start with, rather than associating with a phone number only.

Get the PC version and login that way, it will probably still work even once you've changed sims.

[chubby]

uh, I have the PC version installed, and also the Android version ; how can I tell whether it's registered to the email , the phone number or both, etc ?

[RichCor]

LINE uses the current mobile numbers as an Authentication method ( intercepting a SIM message sent by LINE to make sure the mobile number is real). LINE then records the mobile number and uses it as a user account number. Once the LINE app is authenticated on a device, it doesn't need access to that mobile number (as the OP has found out).

LINE used your phone's contacts (phone book) to find your other LINE Friends and build a Friends list.

Your preferences are then stored using the original phone number as a user account.

If you buy a new phone, or uninstall and reinstall the LINE app, even authenticated using a new mobile number, the app will use your current contacts (phone book) to rebuild the LINE Friends list.

LINE Friends can also be acquired by them finding you (knowing your mobile number but you not knowing their's).

If you want to keep these then it's recommended you set a USER ID in the LINE app setup {Setting / Accounts}

LINE FAQ

LINE About Your Account

[chubby]

RC, thats great, you get how Line works, trouble is, I don't.

So, "Line will use your current contacts" is referring to, my phone contacts, NOT my Line contacts, Right ?

My question, how do confirm, if I will lose my actual Line contacts, IF they are not also in my phone contacts ?

I DO have the PC application installed and use it and on the phone, BUT, will that itself, mean that if I get a 2nd active new USA SIM when I return to the USA in 5 weeks, that I may NOT lose my LINE contacts ?

OR, does it somehow depend on the Order in which the PC was brought to use ? eg phone 1st vs. PC application 1st or something ?

I DO have a user ID in Line. ; but most of my Line contacts do NOT know my phone number, etc

thx

LINE uses the current mobile numbers as an Authentication method ( intercepting a SIM message sent by LINE to make sure the mobile number is real). LINE then records the mobile number and uses it as a user account number. Once the LINE app is authenticated on a device, it doesn't need access to that mobile number (as the OP has found out).

LINE used your phone's contacts (phone book) to find your other LINE Friends and build a Friends list.

Your preferences are then stored using the original phone number as a user account.

If you buy a new phone, or uninstall and reinstall the LINE app, even authenticated using a new mobile number, the app will use your current contacts (phone book) to rebuild the LINE Friends list.

LINE Friends can also be acquired by them finding you (knowing your mobile number but you not knowing their's).

If you want to keep these then it's recommended you set a USER ID in the LINE app setup {Setting / Accounts}

LINE FAQ

LINE About Your Account

[RichCor]

A LINE user account can only be created on a phone using an active phone number (verified via SMS).

A PC can be used only after associating an email address with a line account.

So, the issue here is keeping the LINE Friends (contacts). Changing SIMs won't cause an issue (the LINE app was already activated/authenticated)

If you install LINE on a new device, without access to the original mobile number then the LINE app will have to be set up as a new account and will only match LINE users against your phones built-in contact book. If you originally acquired LINE Friends by them first messaging you, through the 'shake" process, QR Code, or LINE User ID then these won't be found on a new account.

I'd you want to keep this account AS IS then set a LINE User ID (similar to setting an email address).

Personally, I just make sure to have everyone's mobile number so the app takes care of itself. Update their mobile number when they register a new LINE account due to new phone or SIM.

[RichCor]

Looking over the LINE help pages, they actually provide a method for moving an already established LINE Account to another device, or device/new mobile number combination.

I suggest you click/open each title in the section as each contains methods and instructions to getting your account set up and keeping/restoring all your LINE Data (associated with a previous mobile number, but also associated with an email, User ID, or Facebook ID.

LINE HELP: Changing Devices

I wish their help pages were more helpful.

[swampdonkey]

If you have an active line account with a line ID it will not matter what sim you use

I change between home sim and Thai sim regularly.

Delete app, change sim, install app, sign in with ID

[ChiangMike]

I don't even delete the app. Change back and forth between a US (t-mobile) and Thai (true) SIM every few months on the same phone. The first time I was barely using line and was surprised to see it worked perfectly on a new sim in the US when I kept getting messages.

Edited March 21, 2015 by ChiangMike

[loloal]

Not sure that helps but here's my experience :

1 year ago, android phone : I had Line with french SIM. When I landed in Thailand and put Thai SIM, I had to re create a line account and lost my contacts.

This year, with iPhone : switching from french SIM to Thai SIM doesn't make any difference.

Guess : on iPhone they rely on apple's authentification and not on the SIM.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Well, this has certainly been confusing, with a variety of different experiences/outcomes being reported.

The one thing I find annoying about LINE, though I use it a lot, is that I can't, AFAIK, keep the same LINE account on my main Android mobile phone and on a backup Android phone with a different SIM that I rarely use (because, they have different authentication numbers). Kind of similar to the OP's Thai and U.S. phones scenario.

No problem to keep and use the same LINE account on multiple PCs (logging in via email address and password). I wish the mobile phone setup was similar, or I could find a way to make it so. Just because I have a second mobile number, doesn't mean I want to have an entirely different LINE account and have to keep a second, separate set of LINE contacts.

Ahh.... I forgot...same issue with trying to keep/use the same LINE account on your Android mobile phone and Android tablet.

Edited March 21, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[AlexRRR]

Dear dear me, you should have set up your line account with an email address to begin with since it was so long ago i just cant recall the set up, i would be suprised you hand'nt, create a "id" as well, i have on phone, imac, windows pc and ipad.

Go to My Profile in your phone from there you can edit your id etc...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm not sure if you're responding to the OP's issues or my posted above... But you can read what LINE says on their help site:

I have my email address (addresses) registered for my LINE accounts. But if I try to use the same account on multiple Android devices at the same time, as LINE says, the account automatically gets deleted from the other device.

That clearly doesn't happen with PCs, fortunately... But, I can't speak to how it goes with Apple devices at all.

[chubby]

So, IF, as I do, have both a "Line ID/permanent nickname" AND I have the PC version on my laptop. It does not matter, if I have an active phone number/SIM ?

THE only problem, is IF, I were to get a new DEVICE (e.g. a new mobile type device that takes SIM cards) ? With a new SIM on a new device, I would or ?might lose the contacts, that are on both my 1st/old mobile, and also on my PC version ?

......Or , the fact that I have the PC version, mitigates, losing any contacts, EVEN on a new device with a new SIM ?

as of 22/3/2015 ?

thanks

[RichCor]

So, IF, as I do, have both a "Line ID/permanent nickname" AND I have the PC version on my laptop. It does not matter, if I have an active phone number/SIM ?

THE only problem, is IF, I were to get a new DEVICE (e.g. a new mobile type device that takes SIM cards) ? With a new SIM on a new device, I would or ?might lose the contacts, that are on both my 1st/old mobile, and also on my PC version ?

......Or , the fact that I have the PC version, mitigates, losing any contacts, EVEN on a new device with a new SIM ?

as of 22/3/2015 ?

thanks

If you have associated your current LINE account with an email address and password then you shouldn't lose access to that account or it's Friends contacts.

The last links I posted also seems to indicate that you can access your current LINE account on a new device (even with a new Sim mobile number) so long as you follow their "process" for re-acquiring the previous account.

Bottom line, so long as you have an active email address and pass you can always access the old account with a non-mobile phone device.

[chubby]

ok will try to rest easy.

seems strange though, that one is not allowed to update their phone number , even on the same device ....

So, IF, as I do, have both a "Line ID/permanent nickname" AND I have the PC version on my laptop. It does not matter, if I have an active phone number/SIM ?

THE only problem, is IF, I were to get a new DEVICE (e.g. a new mobile type device that takes SIM cards) ? With a new SIM on a new device, I would or ?might lose the contacts, that are on both my 1st/old mobile, and also on my PC version ?

......Or , the fact that I have the PC version, mitigates, losing any contacts, EVEN on a new device with a new SIM ?

as of 22/3/2015 ?

thanks

If you have associated your current LINE account with an email address and password then you shouldn't lose access to that account or it's Friends contacts.

The last links I posted also seems to indicate that you can access your current LINE account on a new device (even with a new Sim mobile number) so long as you follow their "process" for re-acquiring the previous account.

Bottom line, so long as you have an active email address and pass you can always access the old account with a non-mobile phone device.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I think Rich answered that question in one of his posts above, that yes, you ARE able to save and import your old LINE account settings and contacts to a new device (or the same device with a new SIM) provided you have done the email or Facebook registration first in the LINE app on the old device/SIM.

[4evermaat]

^^ correct. You must register email / facebook acct with LINE acct to preserve settings/contacts.

If you have multiple devices, you could try using cloned sim. Otherwise you'd need separate accts. But what you can do is use one acct as primary acct and then mirror messages to the other acct by adding a person to the chat. It would look like 2,3, etc people are on the chat. And the chats are stored separately from one-on-one chats.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4ever, do you mean adding your backup/secondary account to each chat as a third participant??? In order to copy all conversations to the backup/secondary account?

There's no way to do that by default, AFAIK. You'd have to do that manually each and every time???

[AlexRRR]

Line works like this first I set it up on my iPhone, later On my windows laptop worked same time in both later I added line to my Mac all same account, think it logs me out of windows laptop if I sign in on my Mac but not in iPhone, later I bought a new iPhone and run the old 5 as back up but still active with another SIM card, when I started line up in my new phone I had to get a new activation number and type it in, the same account won't be available on both phones same time but if u want to switch from phone to phone as I have u will need an activation code.

Line already has your phone number so that code will be sent to that phone, if your changed numbers might be an idea to change it in settings or accounts but I haven't tried that, and to make totally sure you don't loose your contacts, phone number email and Skype seems useful to have.

Of course if you change devices but can't get back into line if you have your contacts phone numbers line will find them and show up in add friend.