23rd, after Kakao moved to a sweeping overhaul of its mobile messenger KakaoTalk, user complaints grew, and the number of new installations surged for Naver's messenger Line and NateOn, which are faithful to the messenger role.
On the 30th, according to Mobile Index, Line's daily new installations totaled 36,522 on the 27th of this month. Considering that Line's daily average new installations were only 8,476 during the week (Sept. 16–22) before Kakao announced the KakaoTalk overhaul, that is a more than fourfold (330%) surge. Line's daily new installations were 9,350 as recently as the 24th of this month, below 10,000. But they rose to 10,151 on the 25th and 28,783 on the 26th.
NateOn's daily new installations also surged after the KakaoTalk overhaul. NateOn recorded 22,447 daily new installations on the 27th of this month. Considering that NateOn's daily installations averaged 519 per day during the week before KakaoTalk announced the overhaul, the figure jumped 43 times (4,225%).
NateOn is moving into active marketing amid the surge in users. The official thread account of Nate News, which delivers NateOn updates, shared a complete mastery guide for NateOn, saying, "We have quietly focused only on the messenger's original functions," and added, "It is nice to see you again, and thank you for staying well all this time."
Earlier, KakaoTalk users voiced complaints in particular about the main screen changing from a sorted friends list to an updated, Instagram-like feed-style profile. Unlike Instagram, where one connects with private acquaintances, KakaoTalk is also widely used for work, and some reacted that it is burdensome to see photos of people who are not close. On top of that, there was criticism, led by parents, that minors are exposed without limit to short-form content.
In the end, on the 29th Kakao decided to roll back part of the KakaoTalk overhaul. Kakao said, "We will restore the existing 'friends list' as the first screen of the KakaoTalk friends tab, and the current feed-style posts will be viewable through a separate 'news' menu," adding, "We also plan to establish a 'request protective measures for minors' menu within the 'now tab (short form).'" However, considering the development schedule and other factors, these improvements are planned to be applied within the fourth quarter.
An industry official said, "Because KakaoTalk has long established itself as the national messenger and is already widely used in both public and private spheres, it will be difficult to replace its position right away."