If you are having problems sending or receiving messages, please try the following steps.
1. Update your LINE app from the URL below. http://line.me/update
2. Restart your device.
3. Go back to the list of chats, then open the chat you are having problems with again.
Please note that sometimes it may take a while for a chat message to show up after you receive the notification.
Your chat messages are saved in the LINE app on your device. For this reason, you cannot restore missing chat messages if:
• You deleted the chat they were in.
• Your device has changed (e.g. because you had it repaired or switched to a new device).
• You deleted (or uninstalled) the LINE app.
However, you can restore your chat messages if you backed them up beforehand.
If you backed up your messages, you can restore them even if they were deleted from a chat. To do so, uninstall and then reinstall the LINE app.
Note: When you uninstall the app, all of your chat messages are deleted from your device.
You cannot restore chat messages that weren’t successfully backed up, or that weren’t backed up at all.
We strongly recommend regularly backing up your important chats. For information about backing up and restoring your chat history, see this Help article.
It may take some times to send, receive, and display images, videos, and audio messages. Images are only stored on our servers for a certain period of time, after which they can no longer be received. We are unable to provide details about how long images are stored.
By tapping the thumbnail received in a chat, you can save the image in your LINE app. To save it in the default gallery app on your device, please tap Save after opening the image.
Images saved in the LINE app will become unavailable if you delete the app's cache using a cache clearing app.
For problems with images, videos, and audio messages, please try the following.
1. Close all running apps.
2. Restart your device.
3. Update your LINE app from the URL below. http://line.me/update
4. Update your OS.
5. Delete any unneeded apps and data on your device.
If you're having issues with creating, inviting friends to, or leaving a group chat, please search this Help article. If your issue is with a group's notes or albums, please see this Help article.
If you're experiencing another issue with group chats, please try the following trouble shooting tips:
We respect your privacy above all else, and your sent/received messages and other information are treated with the highest level of security. LINE has established strict internal rules to ensure that your messages are protected.
Nothing you send or receive can be viewed by LINE or any third parties not participating in a chat.
With LINE, chat rooms are automatically created for recently added friends. "Start chatting with your new friend now!" is always the first message in these chats.
Also, if you or your friend turn the "Allow others to add me" setting ON, your chat room may be recreated and appear at the top of your chat list.
If a chat with a friend you haven't messaged recently appears at the top of your chats, it may be because that friend turned their "Allow others to add me" setting ON.
Rest assured that this message does not mean an account is being impersonated or has been stolen.
"Unread messages below" is a bookmark-like feature that appears in chats with one or more unread messages. It shows where your Read messages end and your Unread messages begin.
Note: "Unread messages below" does not appear in chats with LINE official accounts.
The GIF feature lets you use your own photos to create simple animations, which can then be sent in chats.
To make a GIF and send it in a chat:
1. Tap the photo icon next to the text box, then tap the photo list icon at the bottom right of the screen.
2. Select the photos you want to use and tap the GIF icon.
Note: The photos you select will appear at the bottom of the screen in the order they were selected. You can reorder them by tapping and holding them, then dragging them to the order of your choice.
3. Edit the content any way you like and tap the paper airplane icon to send it.
3. Edit the photo or video any way you like and tap the paper airplane icon to send it.
You can use the following tools on the editing screen.
Filters (the three-ringed icon)
Choose from a variety of filters to alter the mood of your photos and videos.
Crop (the square icon)
For photos, tap the crop icon to trim them and focus on a certain area. For videos, tap the scissors icon to trim the part of the video you want to send.
Doodle (the pen icon)
Draw with pens of various colors and thicknesses or add shapes.
Pixelate & blur (the pixelate icon)
You can pixelate or blur photos by tapping the relevant icons.
Text (the "T" icon)
Add text to photos and videos in the color and style of your choice.
Stickers
Add emoji, the current date and time, your location, and stickers to your photos and videos.
To share messages, photos, or videos to friends or groups:
1. Tap the chat room with the message, photo, or video you want to share.
2. Tap and hold the message, photo, or video, then tap Share > Share.
Note: You can send multiple contents at the same time.
3. Select a recipient and tap Share, or choose an option at the bottom of the share screen.
You can send a message together with the content if you're sharing it with a friend or group. Just enter your message in the text box, then tap Share.
You can also share a single photo/video that was sent in a chat (or a group of multiple photos that were sent together) by tapping the Share with icon next to it.
With LINE, you can take photos and videos (using filters and effects, if you like) in chats or on Timeline. There are also lots of other convenient features for editing your content.
To take, edit, and send photos, videos, or GIFs:
1. Tap the Chats tab > the name of the chat you want to send content in.
2. Tap the camera icon next to the text box.
3. Tap the round shutter button at the bottom center of the screen.
Note: You can switch between taking photos, videos, and GIFs by tapping or swiping on your camera screen.
4. Edit the content any way you like and tap the paper airplane icon to send it.
You can use the following tools on the camera screen.
Flash (the lightning bolt icon)
Turn your camera's flash ON or OFF.
Effects (the glitter icon)
Apply a variety of effects, including ones that recognize and move with your face.
Note: You can select from many more effects by tapping See more (the four-ringed icon).
Switch cameras (the rotating circle icon)
Switch between your rear-facing camera (for selfies) and forward-facing camera (for shots of the scene in front of you).
You can check all of the content that has been shared in a chat at once. Just tap the menu icon at the top of the chat screen and select Photos & videos, Links, or Files.
From Photos & videos:
Tapping Select at the top right of the screen lets you choose photos and videos to share or delete. You can also save them to an album, your device, or Keep. It's also possible to save a group of photos in a chat all at once by tapping one of the photos > the save icon at the bottom of the screen.
Swiping left or right on the photo or video you're viewing lets you see other photos or videos in the chat.
You can also jump to the message in which a photo or video was sent by tapping the date at the top of it.
From Links:
Tap a link to go to that website. You can also tap "..." to the right of the link for the Copy link, Share, and Jump to message options.
From Files:
Tap "..." to the right of a file for the Share and Jump to message options.
You can check the content you sent to your Keep Memo chat on Keep.
If you want to restore your chat history after changing devices, you need to back it up in advance.
Before backing up your chats, be sure to:
• Turn Google Drive ON.
• Update LINE to the latest version.
Note: Photos and stickers sent in chats cannot be backed up or restored. If there are photos you'd like to save, consider saving them to Albums or Keep.
There are two methods available for backing up your chats to Google Drive.
Manually back up chats to Google Drive
Use this option to manually back up your chat history whenever you need to. For more information, see this Help article.
Automatically back up chats to Google Drive
Choose how often you want your chats to be automatically backed up. For more information, see this Help article.
You won't be able to back up your chats if you don't have enough free space on your device or Google drive. Be sure to regularly check how much free space you have and whether your chats were successfully backed up or not. For information about clearing space on Google Drive, see this Google Drive Help page.
If an auto-backup fails because you don't have enough free space on Google Drive or your device, one of the following error messages will appear in a notification from the app or on the settings screen.
Note: You will not receive a notification if an auto-backup fails for another reason.
• "Backup failed at XXXX on XXXX. Not enough free space on Google Drive."
• "Backup failed at XXXX on XXXX. Not enough free space on your device."
If you receive a notification like the ones above, or if you find that you cannot do a periodic backup in the LINE app, make sure that you have enough free space on Google Drive and your device, then try again.
If you're having issues restoring your chat history, it may be due to one of the following reasons.
• The Import chat history option does not appear
From LINE version 9.1.0, there is no longer a feature to back up and import your chat history from inside a chat. If Import chat history does not appear, you won't be able to import chat history saved on an SD card or LINE Keep.
• You didn't download the backup file from Keep
If you saved the backup file to Keep on LINE, you'll need to download it from Keep and save it to your new device after transferring your account.
• The backup file wasn't saved in the right location
Files created by selecting Back up all data are saved on either an SD card or your device.
If you're unable to import (restore) your chats, you'll need to manually move the relevant file to the folder titled "LINE_backup" on the device you want to restore your chat history on.
Please use a file managing app or connect your device directly to your PC to access the backup files and move them.
Note:
- If this folder doesn't exist, please create one.
- You will not be able to restore your chats if you did not select Back up all data from the Back up chat history option.
If you're not sure how to create folders or move files, please contact your device manufacturer.
• Your device doesn't have sufficient memory or your system specs are too low
The app may freeze or crash if your device doesn't have enough memory or the specs are too low. Please delete any unnecessary data and restart your device before trying again.
You can back up and restore your chat history with Google Drive by following the steps below.
Important:
- Before backing up your chat history, make sure you have enough free space on your device and Google Drive.
- Be sure to try the following steps in an area with a strong network connection.
- The Back up and restore chat history option is only available on devices that can use Google Drive.
To back up your chat history:
1. From the Home tab, tap Settings > Chats.
2. Tap Back up and restore chat history.
3. Tap Back up to Google Drive.
Images and stickers are not backed up with your chat history, so we recommend saving any important images in Albums or Keep. For details about automatically backing up your chats, see this Help article.
To restore your chat history:
1. Tap the Home tab > Settings > Chats.
2. Tap Back up and restore chat history.
3. Tap Restore.
Note: With LINE version 9.2.0 and later, you can also restore your chat history when you transfer your account.
If you want to restore your chat history after changing devices, you need to back it up in advance.
To automatically back up your chats to Google Drive, follow the steps below.
Note: For information on manually backing up your chats, see this Help article.
1. Tap the Home tab > Settings > Chats.
2. Tap Back up and restore chat history.
3. Turn Enable auto-backup ON.
4. Select how often you want to back up your chats.
Your chats will be backed up automatically when you stop using your device and its screen has turned off.
Note:
- Your device needs to be connected to the internet and plugged into an outlet when the auto-backup refresh starts.
- If you can't use a Wi-Fi connection, you can still back up your chats with Use mobile data selected.
If an auto-backup fails, you'll receive a chat notification from the LINE official account. For more information about this notification, see this Help article.
To watch a YouTube video that was shared in a group/multi-person chat:
1. Tap Share screen in call on the YouTube video preview message shared in the chat.
2. Select Voice call or Video call to start a call and watch the video with chat members.
Note: If you played a YouTube video in a chat, tap the screen share icon at the bottom of the screen to share it.
If you have URL previews turned OFF, the Share screen in call option will not appear. For information about setting URL previews, see this Help article.
Note: The Share screen in call button at the bottom of YouTube video preview messages is only processed and created on your device, and not on LINE's servers.
With multi-person chats, you can start chatting with multiple friends right after being invited.
Compared to groups, the features you can use are limited, but multi-person chats offer the advantage of letting you easily create chats with multiple friends.
To start a multi-person chat:
1. On the Chats tab, tap the speech bubble icon at the top right of the screen.
2. Tap Chat.
3. Choose the friends you want to chat with, then tap Create.
Multi-person chats are group-like chat rooms created by inviting friends to a 1-on-1 chat.
With normal groups, a user that was invited cannot participate in the group unless they select Join. However, with multi-person chat rooms, you can immediately start chatting with friends who were invited.
Multi-person chats easily allow you to communicate with a number of friends; however, features found in 1-on-1 and group chats (such as Notes and Albums) cannot be used.
If you'd like to share things like information and photos with friends in a multi-person chat room, we suggest making a group out of that multi-person chat.
1. Tap the menu icon at the top of the chat screen > Other settings.
2. Tap Create group.
3. Select the friends you want to add and tap Next.
4. Enter a name, set a profile photo, and then tap Create.
Note: Messages from the multi-person chat will not be transferred to the group. To view your past messages, you'll still need to check the multi-person chat.
You can delete messages in chats so they don't appear on your device anytime.
Important: Deleting messages by following the steps below will only delete them on your device, and they will still be visible to any other users in the chat room.
To delete a message:
1. Tap and hold the message you want to delete.
2. Tap Delete or Delete messages.
3. Tap Delete and confirm by tapping Delete once again.
You can unsend messages so that other users can no longer see them if 24 hours haven't passed since they were sent (regardless of whether they have been read or not). For more information about unsending messages, see this Help article.
Tap here to open the Privacy settings from your smartphone.
With the Filter messages setting turned on, you will no longer receive messages from strangers, but you also will not receive messages from any acquaintances that are in your Friend recommendations.
To block messages from LINE Game apps:
1. Go to the Home tab > Settings > Notifications > Authorized apps.
2. Tap the game you want to block messages from.
3. Turn off Messages and/or Notifications. Note: - If you turn off Messages, you will not receive messages but will continue to receive any gifts your friends send you. - If you turn off Notifications, you will still receive LINE messages but will not be notified when they arrive.
Tap here to open the Authorized apps screen from your smartphone.
You can unsend a message within 24 hours of sending it. This removes the message so that it can no longer be seen by anyone in the chat where it was sent, even after it has been read. To unsend a message, just tap and hold it, then select Unsend.
Important:
- Even if you unsend a message, everyone in the chat will still be able to see a notification saying that you unsent it.
- Anything (e.g. text messages, photos) deleted in a chat room cannot be unsent.
- We will not be able to recover or unsend anything deleted from a chat room.
You can unsend text messages, stickers, photos, videos, voice messages, songs shared from LINE MUSIC, URLs, contact information, location information, and files.
Note: This feature cannot be used for call histories from LINE version 9.17.0 and later for Android.
Key fingerprints are unique encryption keys that Letter Sealing gives to each user so they can send messages to one another safely and securely.
Note: The actual keys are kept secret and will not appear in LINE chats.
If your key fingerprint matches your friend's, it means your chat is securely encrypted. To check whether your key fingerprints match, follow the steps below.
Note: Key fingerprint confirmation is optional.
1. Tap the menu icon at the top of a chat screen.
2. Tap This chat is protected with Letter Sealing at the bottom of the screen.
3. Compare the key fingerprints on your device and your friend's device.
Note: To compare key fingerprints with your friend, we recommend meeting face-to-face or using a form of communication you trust.
If "This chat is protected with Letter Sealing" doesn't appear, it means Letter Sealing is turned OFF. To turn Letter Sealing ON, follow the steps in this Help article.
When verifying your identity on the PC version of LINE, if the screen to enter the verification code for Letter Sealing does not appear on the smartphone version of LINE, try following the steps below.
1. Start the smartphone version of LINE.
2. Go to the Home tab > Settings > Privacy.
3. Turn Letter Sealing OFF, then turn it back ON again.
Afterwards, see the following Help article and try verifying your identity once again.
To check whether a chat is protected with Letter Sealing, tap the menu icon at the top of the chat screen. If Letter Sealing is turned ON, you'll see "This chat is protected with Letter Sealing."
Note: You'll also see a lock icon at the beginning of the sentence.
If "This chat is protected with Letter Sealing" doesn't appear, see this Help article.
Letter Sealing is a feature that provides end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for chat messages. E2EE is a communication system designed so that messages saved on our servers are encrypted and cannot be read by anyone except the sender and receiver of the message.
Once the sender and receiver have both turned on Letter Sealing, they will be able to start sending messages with added security.
The following information will be encrypted:
• Text messages (not including messages sent through other services like YouTube)
• Location information
• 1-on-1 voice/video calls
Note: We plan to expand Letter Sealing’s functionality in the future.
If you use LINE for PC after turning on Letter Sealing, you'll be required to verify your identity the first time you send a message.
For information about verifying your identity to use Letter Sealing on LINE for PC, see this Help article.
If you want to turn on Letter Sealing to protect your messages, follow the steps below.
Note: Be sure to follow the steps on the smartphone version of LINE. If you are accessing this Help article from your smartphone, tap here to move to the settings screen.
If you see any of the following messages after transferring your account on a smartphone, you may not be able to view past chat messages.
- "This message can't be decrypted"
- "This message wasn't backed up and restored from your previous device. Unfortunately, there's no way to read it on your current device."
- "Unable to display message as it couldn't be decrypted."
If any of these messages appear and you cannot view your past chat messages, there is unfortunately no way to re-display them. In this case, please ask the other person in the chat to send you any old messages that you need.
The messages above appear when:
• You transfer your account to a device with the same OS (e.g. iOS to iOS) without backing up and restoring your chat messages.
You can only delete events that you created yourself. Please also note if an event is not updated within a month from the last day it was edited, it will automatically be deleted.
Send Message to Respondents allows you to send a chat message to all your friends that replied to your event invitation. However, if a respondent is not your friend on LINE you will not be able to send them a chat message.
If the friends that were invited to an event appear but are not receiving your chat message, it is possible that they have the Unauthorized Apps setting turned OFF.
Messages sent from LINE Schedule can be received by following the steps below.
Notes will only appear on Timeline for the groups or friends you choose to share them with. Please rest assured that other users will not be able to see your notes on Timeline.
A message will appear in the chat room announcing that the poll has closed once the set closing date has ended, or if the creator of the poll chooses to end it.
If you're having issues with notifications, you may be able to resolve them by canceling your device's battery settings. To do so, follow the steps below.
Note: These steps and labels may differ depending on your Android OS version and device.
To turn OFF your battery saver schedule:
1. Go to your device's Settings, then search for and tap Battery saver.
2. Tap Set a schedule.
3. Select No schedule.
To remove background restrictions:
1. Go to your device's Settings, then search for and tap LINE.
2. Tap Background restriction.
3. Tap Remove.
To turn OFF battery optimization:
1. Go to your device's Settings, then search for and tap Battery optimization.
2. At the top of the screen, tap Not optimized, then select All.
You may get notification messages from the official accounts of companies. These are messages for telling you things like package delivery dates and when monthly bills are due.
The name of an official company account has a gray, blue, or green icon next to it. To make sure that a notification message is from an official account, check to make sure it has an icon with one of these colors.
Notification messages let you receive helpful information without having to add the official accounts of individual companies.
Note: This feature is turned on when you tap Agree on the "Regarding Usage of Your Information" screen. You can turn it off separately in your settings.
Only notification messages that we have determined to be valid and appropriate are sent out to users, and messages will not be sent for the purpose of advertising.
How notification messages work
First, a company sends a message transmission request to LINE's servers based on a customer's phone number. A notification message is then sent to the account of the LINE user with that phone number registered.
The phone number sent from the company is hashed, and the information that LINE Corporation receives is only used for the purpose of verifying the message recipient, after which it is promptly deleted.
There may be times when we need to verify your identity via text message before we can send a notification or in order to confirm notification content which includes your personal information.
Requirements for sending notification messages
Notification messages are sent when they meet the three requirements below:
• The phone number sent from the company matches one registered to an existing LINE account.
• The LINE account has the Receive notification messages setting turned ON.
• The LINE account has not blocked the official account of the company sending the notification message.
The way you configure pop-up notifications will differ depending on your version of LINE and your device's OS. Please see the table below for how to set up notifications on your device.
Note: Tap the image to enlarge it.
[A] LINE versions earlier than 8.17.0, or Android OS versions earlier than 7.0
• Displaying message previews in pop-up notifications
You can configure whether or not pop-up notifications show message previews by following the steps below.
1. Go to the Home tab > tap Settings.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. At the top of the screen, turn Notifications ON.
4. Under Notifications, turn Message previews ON or OFF.
• Pop-up notification display settings
You can choose whether or not to display pop-up notifications depending on the status of your screen.
1. Go to the Home tab > tap Settings.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. At the top of the screen, turn Notifications ON.
4. Under Notifications, tap Display pop-ups when screen is on or Display pop-ups when screen is off to turn these settings ON or OFF.
Tap here to go to your pop-up notification settings from your smartphone.
[B] LINE versions 8.17.0 and later, and Android OS versions 7.0 and later
The pop-up notification feature has been discontinued. Please configure the notification settings on your smartphone.
If you're using Android OS version 8.0 or later and want to display message notifications on your lock screen, please see this Help article.
To configure notification settings for LINE authorized apps:
1. Go to the Home tab > Settings > Notifications > Authorized apps.
2. Select the app you want to configure notification settings for.
3. Turn Messages and Notifications ON or OFF.
Tap here to open the Authorized apps screen from your smartphone.
To configure your Timeline notification settings:
1. Go to the Home tab > Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap Timeline Notification to switch notifications ON or OFF.
Tap here to open the Settings menu on your smartphone.
To display message notifications on your device's lock screen, you need to turn lock screen preferences ON in your device's settings, and then turn LINE notifications ON. For the detailed steps, see below.
Note: Menu displays may differ depending on your device.
• Device settings:
1. On your device, tap Settings.
2. Tap Security & location.
3. Under Device Security, tap Lock screen preferences.
4. Select any lock screen notification settings other than Don't show notifications at all.
• LINE settings:
1. Go to the Home tab and tap Settings.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. At the top of the screen, make sure that the box next to Notifications is checked, and that Notification settings is turned ON.
4. Tap Message notifications.
5. Configure each of the following settings:
• Turn Message notifications ON.
• Tap Importance and select Medium or over.
• Tap On lock screen and select anything other than Do not show notifications.
Tap here to go to LINE's Notification settings on your smartphone.
Notifications for incoming and outgoing voice and video calls may not appear correctly depending on the strength of your device's signal. Be sure to use a stable network connection.
You may also have issues if your notification settings are not configured correctly. For more information, see this Help article.
Calling or chatting with users on different mobile service carriers is also free. LINE will not charge you, even if you are calling a friend in a different country or using the service while you are traveling.
However, like all other apps, you will be charged by your mobile service carrier for the data that you use. Depending on your price plan, you may be charged each time you connect to LINE, so we recommend using a flat-rate data plan.
Note: With a flat-rate data plan, you will generally not be charged additional data fees when using a 3G, LTE, or Wi-Fi connection. For more details, check with your mobile service provider.
Bluetooth devices can be used with LINE. Please understand, however, that we cannot guarantee such devices will work properly, as they rely on the performance of your smartphone.
Up to six people can be shown on the same screen when making a group video call. You can switch to other participants by swiping left or right on the screen.
Note: Up to 500 people can participate in a video call.
Select and double tap a friend to see their full screen video. To switch another friend to full screen video, swipe left or right on the full screen video or the participants at the bottom of the screen.
You can report someone in a meeting for inappropriate behavior or for sharing inappropriate photos/videos.
Note: Rest assured that if you report someone, they won't be notified that you did so.
To report someone in a meeting:
1. Tap and hold the person you want to report > Report.
2. Select the relevant reason > Report.
3. Choose whether or not to remove the person you reported.
You can also report someone by tapping the options icon at the top of the screen > Report. If a screen is being shared, tap the Report icon at the top of the screen.
1. Tap the share screen icon at the bottom right of the screen.
2. Tap Your screen.
3. Tap Start now.
To share a website:
1. Exit the group video call screen and copy the URL you want to share.
2. Go back to the group video call screen.
3. Tap the website that appears at the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap Start now.
You can write on the screen you're sharing by tapping the pencil icon at the bottom right of the screen.
To stop sharing your screen, tap the stop button at the bottom right. Returning to the video call screen will automatically end the screen sharing session.
Note: You cannot use the screen sharing feature if someone else is already sharing their screen or a video.
