Help

Friends and Groups

FAQ

I receive the message “The account you are trying to add cannot accept any more friends.” toggle

There is a limit on the number of users you can add as a friend, and who can add you as a friend.

If the message “Sorry, the account you are trying to add cannot accept any more friends.” appears when you try to add a user, it means they cannot be added as a friend because they have already been added by too many other users.

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Automatically adding friends from your contacts toggle

To automatically add the contacts saved on your phone as friends, please refer to the following steps to confirm your LINE settings:

For iOS Users

Privacy Settings:

1. Go to your device’s Settings > Privacy > Contacts.

2. Turn LINE ON.

If LINE is not shown after tapping Contacts, please restart your device.

Your LINE Settings

1. Go to More > Settings.

2. Tap Friends.

3. Turn on Add Friends.

If the option is already turned on, tap the refresh button next to the last synced date to manually sync your contacts.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

If any of your contacts are not added, please check the following:

• Is your friend hidden or blocked?

1. Go to More > Settings.

2. Tap Friends.

3. Tap Hidden Users or Blocked Users.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

Note: If you have removed the friend, you will not find them on either list. Please add them as a friend again.

If you find the friend on either of the lists above, tap Edit then Display or Unblock.

• Are your friend’s settings correct?

You will not be able to automatically add your friend in the following cases:

- If they have Allow Others to Add turned off.

Note: They may be shown in your friend recommendations. Please see here for more information.

- If they are registered using Facebook and did not verify their phone number

- If they are using a device that does not have a phone number (e.g., iPad, iPod touch, or tablet)

If none of your friends are added automatically, you can add them manually using the steps listed in the following link:

Adding Friends

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Restoring removed friends toggle

If you have removed a friend and want to add them back to your friends list, you cannot use the auto add feature to do so.

Note: Even if you go to More > Settings > Friends, and tap the icon next to Last Auto Add, the friend will not be added back to your friends list.

Please add them manually using ID search, QR code, or “Shake it!”

See this link for information on how to add friends manually.

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My friend's account appears, but a different person is using it toggle

If you added the friend by syncing your contacts, their name will appear the same as in your phone's contacts list.

Note: Their LINE display name will appear under their name in your contacts in a smaller font on the profile pop-up.

For this reason, if your friend cancels the phone number you have in your contacts, or if the number in your contacts is wrong, a different person (the current owner of that phone number) will be displayed on your LINE friends list under your friend’s name.

If any of the following cases apply, please check your friend’s phone number by contacting them using a means other than LINE.

Issues happening on your device

• If an account with your name is appearing on your friends list, please check if you have yourself saved in your contacts with an old phone number.

• If a friend who does not use LINE is appearing on your friends list, please check if your friend’s phone number in your contacts is correct, and if you still have their old phone number.

• If the name of a friend on your friends list suddenly changed, please check if you have changed their name in your contacts.

• If you tried chatting with a friend, but they turned out to be a different friend, please check if you have added multiple phone numbers for that friend in your contacts.

Issues happening on your friend's device

• If you are told by a friend that they see your account even though you don’t have one, please check if your friend has an old phone number of yours in their contacts.

• If you signed up for a new phone number and were displayed as a friend on a stranger's LINE account, the stranger may have the previous owner of your phone number in their contacts.

• If another account with your name is displayed on your friend’s friends list, please check if your friend has an old phone number of yours in their contacts.

If someone you don't know is appearing in your friends list, please remove them after hiding or blocking them. For more information, please see the following Help article:

Removing Friends

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My friends don't appear toggle

If all of your friends have stopped appearing
You may have minimized your friends list. Please tap the light gray bar that says “Friends (number)” on the Friends tab to display them all again.

If only some of your friends have stopped appearing
When a friend deletes their LINE account, they will be removed from your friends list. To find out about the status of your friend's account, please check with them directly.

Please also check if you have blocked or hidden the friend that has stopped appearing using the steps below:

1. Go to More > Settings.
2. Tap Friends.
3. Tap Hidden Users or Blocked Users.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

Note: You will not be able to see your friends on the lists above if you have already removed them. In this case, please add them again.

If some of your friends stopped appearing after you changed to a new device, please see the following:

Carrying Over Accounts

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Friends

Friends on LINE toggle

Your contacts on LINE are listed as "friends." When you add someone as a friend, you can chat with them and invite them to groups. If you are mutual friends, you can also make voice calls with each other.

Note: Voice calls are not supported on some devices.

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How friends are initially added after installing the app toggle

Your friends who have phone numbers saved in your contacts list and are using LINE will be added as friends automatically when you first sign up.

To prevent automatically adding friends and being added as a friend, please turn OFF Add Friends or Auto Add Friends, and Allow Others to Add when signing up.

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Maximum number of friends toggle

You can add up to 5,000 friends.

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Adding Friends

Issues with Adding Friends

I receive the message “The account you are trying to add cannot accept any more friends.” toggle

There is a limit on the number of users you can add as a friend, and who can add you as a friend.

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I can't add friends using ID Search toggle

If you're not able to add friends using ID search, please check the settings below.

If your friend can't find you:

1. Tap More > Settings > Profile or Edit profile.

2. Turn ON "Allow others to add me by ID".

You can also go to the profile screen here.

If you can't find your friend:

Your friend may not have turned on "Allow others to add me by ID". Please ask them to check their settings.

To prevent the username search feature from being abused, the feature will temporarily be suspended if a username is searched for (or the wrong ID is entered) too many times. Please understand that we cannot provide any details about how long accounts are suspended for due to security reasons.

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I can't add friends using "Shake it!" toggle

When using the "Shake it!" feature, your friend will not be added until “Friend Added!” appears after both you and your friend tap Add. Please see the following if you are having trouble adding friends using “Shake it!”.

Note: You need to turn on Location Services or GPS to use “Shake it!”. If your location is not shown correctly after doing so, please try restarting your device.

If you are using an iOS device, please also check your privacy settings by following the steps below:

1. On your device, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

2. Tap LINE, then select While Using the App.

Note: If you cannot find LINE in Location Services, please restart your device.

To add friends using “Shake it!”

1. Go to More > Add Friends.

2. Tap Shake it!.

3. Shake your phone with your friend at the same time, or just tap the screen.

4. Tap each other’s names on the list that appears.

5. Tap Add.

6. Check that “Friend Added!” appears.

Tap here to open the Add Friends menu from your smartphone.

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I can't add friends using QR code toggle

If you are unable to scan a QR code, please ask your friend to go to More > profile icon > My QR code, tap the V icon at the top right of the page, then select Generate new QR code.

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Adding Friends

Adding friends using ID Search toggle

To add friends by searching for their LINE IDs, please refer to the following steps:

1. Go to More > Add Friends.

2. Tap ID/Phone No.

3. Enter your friend’s ID.

Tap here to open the Add Friends menu from your smartphone.

If you are unable to search for your friend’s ID, please see the following article:

Cannot add friends using ID Search

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Adding friends using QR code toggle

You can add friends by having them scan your QR code, or scanning theirs.

To have friends scan your QR code:

1. Tap here to display your QR code.

2. Have your friend scan it with their QR code reader.

3. You will become friends once your friend taps Add.

To scan your friend's QR code:

1. Tap here to open the QR code reader.

2. Scan your friend’s QR code.

3. Tap Add to become friends.

You can also send your QR code via email by going to Add Friends > Invite.

Inviting friends

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Adding friends using "Shake it!" toggle

The “Shake it!” feature uses your location to add friends who are near you.

To add friends using “Shake it!”

1. Go to More > Add Friends.

2. Tap Shake it!.

3. Shake your phones or tap the screen.

Note: Make sure that Location Services or GPS is turned on for both you and your friend.

4. Tap each other’s names on the list that appears.

5. Tap Add.

Tap here to open the Add Friends menu from your smartphone.

If you are already friends, the LINE logo will be displayed. Select the friend you want to add from the users that appear in the results, and tap Add. Once the status changes from “Waiting...” to “Friend Added!”, you will become LINE friends.

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Adding members of a chat as friends toggle

To add chat members as friends:

1. At the top of the chat screen, tap the chat room name.

2. Tap a member icon.

3. A list of members will appear. Tap the member you want to add > Add.

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Adding friend recommendations as friends toggle

To add friend recommendations as friends:

1. Tap here to access your Friend Recommendations.

2. Tap the + button to the right of the friend you want to add.

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Add friends via phone number search toggle

As of LINE version 5.6.0, a feature has been added allowing you to add friends by searching their phone numbers. Please note, the "Allow Others to Add" setting will need to be turned on.

Please follow the steps below to add friends by searching their phone numbers.

1. Tap More > Add Friends or tap the Open Add Friends Screen link below.

2. Tap ID/Phone No.

3. Select Phone number.

4. Enter your friend's phone number.

Open Add Friends Screen

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I want to exclude certain friends in my contacts list from being automatically added toggle

You can exclude certain friends from being automatically added by adding # in front of their name in your contacts list.

This feature applies to LINE version 5.6.0 or later.

To exclude certain friends from being automatically added:

• Add a # in front of their name in your contacts list. Be sure to enter # as a half-width character (E.g. #John Smith).

• Have friends added automatically from Settings.

Automatically adding friends from contacts

Please be aware of the following:

• Friends who are already added as friends on LINE will not be deleted, even if you add a # in front of their name.

• If you add a # in front of the name of a friend who is already added, the name they set on LINE will appear.

If you wish to only add a few friends from your contacts list, you can do so by searching for their phone numbers.

Add friends via phone number search

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People Nearby

What is People Nearby? toggle

People Nearby is a feature that allows you to search users around your current location and make new friends. Please note that the use of People Nearby and making friend requests is only available for LINE versions 6.5.0 and later.

From the LINE app, tap More > People Nearby, to start using this new feature.

You will be able to see the profile photos and distance of other users who are also using People Nearby from your location as well as send out a friend request to users who interest you. If they accept your friend request, you will be able to start exchanging messages with each other.

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Do I have to allow access to my location information on iOS? toggle

People Nearby uses your current location to help you find new friends near you. For this reason, you need to allow the app to access your location information.

If you have Location Services turned OFF on your device, or if you have not allowed LINE to access your location, please refer to the following steps:

1. From your device, go to Settings > Privacy > and turn ON Location Services.

2. Tap LINE and select either Always or While Using the App.

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What should I do if I do not want to share my location? toggle

If you do not want to share your location, tap the settings icon at the top of the People Nearby screen to disable location sharing.

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Friend Recommendation Settings

How friend recommendations work toggle

A user may appear under friend recommendations because:

• They have your phone number saved in their contacts and are also using LINE (but you don't have their number in your contacts).

• They knew your LINE ID and added you by searching for it on LINE.

• They added you from the member list of a group or multi-person chat you were both in.

• They added you by using your contact information (LINE account information) that was shared in a chat room by a friend of yours.

Note: If your contact information was shared, the user will only be able to see your name registered on LINE, profile photo, and status message.

• They added you using the URL in an invite email, or using your QR code.

In some cases, you'll see how a user added you under friend recommendations.

If you see how a user added you, it will be for the following reasons:

• They added you using your phone number.

• They added you using your QR code.

• They added you using your LINE ID.

If you don’t see how a user added you, it may be because:

• They were in a group with you and added you from it.

• They got your contact information from another one of your friends and added you.

If you have “Auto-add friends” turned on, and someone in your contacts shows up under your friend recommendations, it means they have the following settings configured:

Auto-add friends: ON

Allow others to add me: OFF

The name that appears for a user under your friend recommendations is the name they set on LINE. If an unfamiliar name appears under your friend recommendations, the only way to confirm who they are is to ask them directly.

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Preventing ID search toggle

To prevent others from searching for your ID, please follow the steps below:

1. Go to More > Settings > Profile.
2. Turn OFF Add by ID.

Tap here to access the Profile menu from your smartphone.

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Blocking users who appear under your friend recommendations toggle

You can block users on your Friend Recommendations list using the steps below:

1. Go to More > Add Friends.

2. Tap the user you wish to block.

3. Tap Block.

Note: It may take a while for the changes to take effect.

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Preventing others from adding you toggle

If you do not want to be automatically added as a friend by someone who has your phone number, please follow the steps below.
Note: These steps will not affect existing friends.

1. Go to More > Settings.
2. Tap Friends.
3. Turn OFF Allow Others to Add.

To open the Settings menu from your smartphone, tap here.

Video tutorial: How to prevent others from adding you with a phone number

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Filtering messages from non-friends toggle

To filter messages from users who are not your friends, please follow the steps below:

1. Go to More > Settings.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Turn ON Filter Messages.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

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The Friends List

Friends List Settings

About Hiding, Blocking and Deleting

Hiding friends toggle

When you hide a friend:

• You can still receive chat messages from them.

• They won't appear in your friends list, and will be moved to the Hidden users list.

• You'll see their profile and Timeline updates.

Hiding a user doesn't remove them completely as a friend or friend recommendation. To do so, please see the following article:

Removing friends

To hide a friend:
1. Tap the Friends tab.

2. Swipe left on the friend you want to hide.

3. Tap Hide.

To unhide a hidden friend:
1. Go to More > Settings.

2. Tap Friends.

3. Tap Hidden users.

4. Tap Edit next to the friend you want to show again.

5. Tap Unhide to display the friend again.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

Note: It may take a while for the changes to take effect.

To archive a chat, please see the following article:

Archiving Chats

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Blocking accounts toggle

The following happens when you block an account:

• You'll no longer be able to receive chats, voice calls, or video calls from the account.

• The account will be moved from your friend list to your Blocked users list.

Blocking an account from your friend list or Friend recommendations will not completely delete it from your account. To do so, please see the following Help article.

Removing accounts

To block an account:

1. Tap the Friends tab.

2. Swipe to the left on the account you want to block.

3. Tap Block.

To unblock an account:

1. Tap More > Settings.

Note: Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

2. Tap Friends.

3. Tap Blocked users.

4. Tap Edit next to the account you want to unblock.

5. Tap Unblock.

Note: It may take a while for the changes to take effect.

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Removing friends toggle

Removing a friend deletes them from your friends list and, unlike blocking, cannot be undone. Please be careful when removing a friend you cannot contact otherwise.

Before you remove a friend, you must hide or block them.

Hiding Friends

Blocking Friends

To remove a friend, please follow the steps below.

1. Go to More > Settings.

2. Tap Friends.

3. Tap Hidden Users or Blocked Users.

4. Tap Edit by the user you want to remove.

5. Tap Remove.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

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About Other Settings

Friend's names and profile photos toggle

Display names

How your friend's name will appear on your LINE account will depend on your or your friend's settings.

There are three possibilities:

• If you added the friend by syncing your contacts list, the name registered in your device's contacts list will be displayed.

• If you added the friend by LINE ID search, Shake it!, or QR code (methods other than syncing your contacts list), the name your friend set on their LINE account will be displayed.

• If you manually changed the friend's name on your friends list, the name you edited will appear. This will only change the friend's name on your friends list.

Profile photos

Your friend's profile photo will be the one that they set from their profile screen. You can change your own profile photo, but you cannot change your friend's profile photo.

Changing display names or your profile photo

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Changing your display name or profile photo toggle

To change your display name:

1. Go to More and tap your profile photo at the top left.

2. Tap Display name.

3. Enter a new display name, then tap Save.

Access your profile here.

To change a friend's display name:

1. Go to the Friends tab.

2. Tap the friend's name you want to change.

3. Tap the pencil icon next to your friend's display name.

4. Enter a name and tap Save.

To change your profile image:

1. Go to More and tap your profile photo at the top.

2. Tap your profile photo and tap Camera or Select photo/video.

3. After cropping the photo, tap Next.

4. After selecting a filter, tap Done.

Access your profile here.

Note: You cannot change your friends' profile images.

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My contact's name is displayed differently toggle

If a LINE friend is registered using their phone number, the name that they are saved with in your device’s contacts will be displayed. If they are not registered using their phone number, the display name they set in LINE will be displayed.

If you add a friend who is saved in your contacts using their LINE ID, the display name they set in LINE will be displayed.

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Display names do not appear properly toggle

If the friend whose name does not appear properly is saved in your device's contacts list, it is possible their name contained an emoji when it was saved.

Check your contacts list. If your friend's name was saved with an emoji, please try deleting it.

If the issue persists after trying the above, please refer to the following steps:

1. Go to More > Settings.
2. Tap Friends.
3. Turn ON Add Friends.

Note: If the option is already turned ON, tap the refresh icon next to the last synced date to manually sync your contacts.

Tap here to open the Settings menu from your smartphone.

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Inviting Friends

Inviting friends toggle

You can invite friends who aren't using LINE yet by following the steps below.

1. Go to More > Add Friends > Invite.

2. Choose Text message or Email.

3. Choose a friend, then tap the Invite button.

If you selected Text message, friends without the LINE icon displayed by their name can be invited. If you selected Email, friends with the Invite icon displayed by their name can be invited.

Important:

- Invitations will be sent using the SMS or email features on your device. If your friends are not receiving the invitations you send them, please check with your mobile service carrier or email service provider.

- The invite message will include your LINE display name.

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About Groups

Creating groups toggle

To create a group:

1. Tap the Friends tab > Create group.

2. Enter a name.
3. Tap Add to invite members.

4. Tap Invite > Save.

The friends you invited need to tap the Join button from the group invitation in order to participate in the group.

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Inviting new friends to a group toggle

1. Go to the group chat you want to invite new friends to.

2. Tap the V icon.

3. Tap Invite.

Note: You can also use the Add button on the group's main page.

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Maximum friends per group toggle

You can invite up to 499 friends per group, excluding yourself.

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Canceling a group invitation toggle

You can cancel a group invitation by following the steps below.

1. From the chat screen tap the V icon on the upper right of the screen.

2. Tap Members.

3. Tap Edit.

4. Next to the member's name tap the delete button > Delete.

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Accidentally declining a group invitation toggle

If you want to be invited to the group again, please tell a member to cancel your invitation and then invite you again.

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Viewing group notes and albums toggle

You can view group notes and albums in the following ways:

• Tap the group you want to view the notes or albums for on your friends list, then tap Notes or Albums on the group profile.

• Tap the V icon at the top right of the group chat, then tap Notes.

• Tap the Timeline menu icon at the top right of the Timeline, then the icon of the group you want to view the notes or albums for.

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Creating group notes toggle

You can create group notes by following the steps below.

To post notes from a group:

1. Tap the group you wish to post to under the Friends tab.

2. Tap Notes.

3. Tap the pencil icon on the bottom right of the screen.

To post notes from Timeline:

1. Tap Timeline.

2. Tap What's New?

3. Tap Friends, Public, or Only Me on the top of the screen to open the Privacy Settings.

4. Tap the group you wish to post to.

If you wish to post an image, you can also use the Album feature, which is specifically for posting and viewing images.

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Adding photos to an album toggle

You can add photos to an album by following the steps below.

1. From the chat screen tap the V icon on the upper right of the screen.

2. Tap Albums.

3. Tap the album you wish to post an image in.

4. Tap the + button on the lower right of the screen.

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My group notes appear on my Timline, but can my LINE friends see them too? toggle

Group notes on your Timeline are only visible to members of the group. Non-members will not be able to see them.

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Deleting group notes toggle

You can only delete group notes that you created.

1. Tap a group under the Friends tab.

2. Tap Notes.

3. Tap the post you wish to delete.

4. Tap the edit button (the three dots) at the upper right of the screen.

5. Tap Delete.

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Deleting a group album toggle

To delete a group album:

1. Go to the Friends tab, then select the group with the album you want to delete.

2. Tap Albums followed by the album you want to delete.

3. Tap the options icon at the top-right, then Delete Album.

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Saving photos from a group album toggle

To save photos from a group album:

1. Go to the Friends tab.

2. Select the group.

3. Tap Albums.

4. Select the photos you want to save from the album.

5. Tap Save.

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Deleting a group post created using a previous account toggle

You cannot delete posts, Likes, or comments made using an old account. To delete a comment posted using a previous account, you will need to ask the author of the post it is attached to help you. To delete a Like made using a previous account, the post it is attached to needs to be deleted.

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Deleting photos from a group album toggle

Note:

- Deleted data cannot be restored.

- If you delete any posts, a notification will be sent to the group chat notifying other members that you did so.

To delete photos from a group album:

1. Go to the Friends tab.

2. Tap the group name.

3. Tap Albums.

4. Tap to open the photo you want to delete.

5. Tap and hold the image.

6. Tap Delete Photo.

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Maximum number of albums toggle

Maximum albums per group: 100
Maximum photos per album: 1,000
Maximum photos per upload: 1,000

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Leaving a group toggle

Your notes, albums, and photos will not be deleted if you leave a group. If there is any data you wish to delete, please do so before leaving the group.

When a group member deletes their account or leaves the group, a message saying "(friend's display name) left the group." will appear.

To leave a group:

1. Tap the name of the group you wish to leave under the Friends tab.

2. Tap either Chat, Notes, or Albums.

3. Tap the Settings icon on the upper right of the screen.

4. Tap Leave > OK.

Once all of the members of a group leave, all data that was posted in it will be deleted. In this case, the data cannot be restored.

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What do other users see when I decline a group invitation? toggle

If you decline a group invitation, you will still be displayed as a pending member in the group. To have yourself completely removed from the group, the friend who invited you needs to cancel your invitation.

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Can a new member in a group view the posts made in it before they joined? toggle

When a user joins a group, they can view Note and Album posts that were made during the time their membership was pending, but will not be able to see any chat messages posted before they joined.

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