Whimsical characters adorn the Los Angeles office of Tokyo-based Line, which partners only with trending stars and has a long wait list of movie studios and other content owners that want Line accounts. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Executives Tack Kim, left, and San Baek pose with characters at Line’s L.A. office. “Instead of reaching multiple millions on Facebook, if we can reach the right people, it’s the right option,” Kim said. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Chat apps are loaded with features that many young users find alluring -- animated smiley faces, words transformed into colorful digital stickers, drawing tools, quick photo-sharing, video and the like. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
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Singer Ariana Grande speaks at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in May. She connects with fans using Line, a smartphone app built for close friends to exchange instant messages. (Chris Pizzello / Invision/AP)
