LINE Help Center

Topics covered

- Checking/changing your friends' display names

- Changing how your friend list is sorted

About friends on LINE:
Users that you can communicate with on LINE are called your friends. You can add up to 5,000 users as friends. By adding someone as a friend, you can:
• Talk to them in a chat and invite them to chats and groups.
• Have voice calls with them, once they've also added you as a friend.

Useful info

To protect minors who are using the service, LINE has in cooperation with various mobile service providers partially restricted some features, such as setting a LINE ID and searching for friends using their IDs or phone numbers for users under 18. To gain full functionality, verify your age. (Linked Help article only available in Japanese.)

Checking/changing your friends' display names:
The display names in your friend list will appear in one of the following ways, depending on how the friend was added, what name your friend set, and whether or not you have edited their name.

• Friends that were added by syncing your device's contacts will appear with the names saved in your device.
• Friends that were added using a method other than syncing your contacts (e.g. ID search, QR code) will appear with the names they set for themselves on LINE.
• Friends whose names you changed manually will appear with the names that you set.
Note: The changed names will only appear that way in your friend list.

To change an account's display name, follow the steps below.
Note: You cannot change an account's profile icon.

1. Tap the Home tab > Friends.
2. Tap the account whose name you want to change.
3. Tap pen icon next to their display name.
4. Enter a name and tap Save.

Changing how your friend list is sorted:
Note: You can only use this feature on your main device (typically your smartphone).

• Name (default): Your friends will be ordered by name.
• Recently added: You'll see your friends in the order that you added them.
• Profile updated: Your friends will appear in order of who updated their profile most recently.
• Recently messaged: The friends you've exchanged messages with most recently will appear first.

To change how your friend list is sorted:
1. Open LINE on the main device your account is registered to.

2. Tap the Home tab > Friends.

3. Tap the Friends tab and choose one of the options above from the drop-down menu at the top right.

Adding friends to your Favorites:
You can have a friend appear at the top of your chat list by adding them to your favorites.

To add a friend to your Favorites, try one of the following methods.

• Tap on your friend's profile icon > options icon

> Add to favorites.
• From your friend list, tap and hold the friend > Favorite.

See also:
Adding friends on LINE
Differences between deleting/hiding/blocking LINE accounts and doing/undoing these actions
Creating/joining/inviting others to groups

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Users who appear in your friend recommendations have added you as a friend.

Topics covered

- Ways you could have been added by someone as a friend

- Reasons shown for being added as a friend

- Users saved in your device's contacts appearing in your friend recommendations when Auto-add friends is turned on

- Blocking accounts that appear in your friend recommendations

Ways you could have been added by someone as a friend:
• They have your phone number and added you with it.
Note: This only applies to LINE accounts created with LINE versions earlier than 13.11.0 if you're not using LINE in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Thailand.
• They knew your LINE ID and added you by searching for it on LINE.
• They added you from the member list of a group you were both in.
• They added you by using your contact information (LINE account information) that was shared in a chat by a friend of yours.
• They added you using the URL in an invite email, or using your QR code.

If you want to prevent others from adding you as a friend in the future, see Preventing others from adding you.

Reasons shown for being added as a friend:
In some cases, you'll see how a user added you in your friend recommendations.

If you see how a user added you, it will be because they added you with your:
• Phone number.
Note: This only applies to LINE accounts created with LINE versions earlier than 13.11.0 if you're not using LINE in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Thailand.
• QR code.
• LINE ID.

If you don’t see how someone added you, it may be because:
• You were added from a group that both you and the other person were in.
• They got your contact information from another one of your friends and added you.

Users saved in your device's contacts appearing in your friend recommendations when Auto-add friends is turned on:
If this occurs, it means that they have the following settings configured.

• Auto-add friends: ON
• Allow others to add me: OFF

The name that appears for someone in 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.

Blocking accounts that appear in your friend recommendations:
1. Tab the Home tab > Friends > Friend recommendations.
2. Tap and hold or swipe left on the display name of the user that you want to block.
3. Tap Block.
Note: It may take some time for the changes to be applied.

Blocking an account that appears in your friend recommendations also prevents them from sending you messages.

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You can delete, hide, or block people on LINE so that they will no longer appear in your friend list.

Be advised

The in-app links in steps can only be accessed on your main device.

Topics covered

- Differences between deleting, hiding, and blocking accounts

- Blocking and unblocking accounts

- Hiding and unhiding accounts

- Deleting accounts

Differences between deleting, hiding, and blocking accounts:
You can remove LINE accounts from your friend list by deleting, hiding, or blocking them. The differences between these three features are as follows.

You're able to receive messages and calls from hidden accounts, but not from accounts that are blocked or deleted (by tapping Delete from your Blocked accounts list).

If you mistakenly hide or block an account, you can unhide or unblock it. However, deleting an account cannot be undone.

For more details, please see the table below.

Feature	Account appears in friend list	Receive messages	Receive calls	Undo action
Hide	No	Yes	Yes	Possible
Block	No	No	No	Possible
Delete from friend list or Hidden accounts list	No	Yes	No	Not possible
Delete from Blocked accounts list	No	No	No	Not possible

Useful info

- If you delete, hide, or block a friend on LINE, they will not be notified.

- Deleting, hiding, or blocking a friend on LINE doesn't delete your account from their friend list.

- Even if you delete an account by tapping Delete from your friend list or Hidden accounts list, you can restore it by adding the account as a friend again.

Blocking and unblocking accounts:
If you don't want to receive messages or calls from someone, you can block their account.

To block and unblock accounts, see the following steps.

Blocking accounts

1. Tap the Home tab > Friends.
2. Tap and hold the name of the account that you want to block.
3. Tap Block > Block.

Unblocking accounts

1. From the Home tab, tap

.
Note: Tap here to go to Settings from your main device.
2. Tap Friends > Blocked accounts.
3. Tap the account you want to unblock or Edit.
4. Tap Unblock > Unblock.
Note: It may take some time for the changes to be applied.

Hiding and unhiding accounts:
By hiding accounts, you can have them no longer appear in your friend list.

To hide and unhide accounts, see the following steps.

Hiding accounts

1. Tap the Home tab > Friends.
2. Tap and hold the name of the account that you want to hide.
3. Tap Hide or Hide from list > Hide.

Unhiding accounts

1. From the Home tab, tap

.
Note: Tap here to go to Settings from your main device.
2. Tap Friends > Hidden accounts.
3. Tap Edit next to the account you want to unhide.
4. Tap Unhide.
Note: It may take some time for the changes to be applied.

Deleting accounts:
You can delete accounts from your friend list.

There are ways to delete accounts from your Hidden accounts list, Blocked accounts list, or friend list.
Note: For the differences between deleting, hiding, and blocking accounts, see Differences between deleting, hiding, and blocking accounts.

Deleting hidden or blocked accounts

1. From the Home tab, tap

.
Note: Tap here to go to Settings from your main device.
2. Tap Friends.
3. Tap Hidden accounts or Blocked accounts.
4. Tap the account you want to delete or Edit.
5. Tap Delete.

Deleting accounts from your friend list

1. Tap the Home tab > Friends.
2. Tap and hold the friend you want to delete.
3. Tap Delete > Delete.

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You may be able to re-add a friend you deleted if your chat with them still appears in your chat list.

Useful info

- You won't be able to unhide your chat with the friend if the chat has already been deleted.
- If you're still unable to add the friend after following the steps below, please try adding them manually.

Please see the steps below for your situation.

The chat with the friend I deleted appears in my chat list:
1. Tap the Chats tab, and then choose the chat with the other person.
2. Tap Add.

The chat with the friend I deleted doesn't appear in my chat list:

Useful info

For information about the difference between main and sub devices, see Using the same LINE account on more than one device.

On your main device (typically your smartphone)

1. Tap the Home tab > Settings

> Chats > Hidden chats.
2. Tap Edit next to the person you deleted > Unhide chat.
3. Return to the Home screen, tap the Chats tab, then choose the chat with them.
4. Tap Add.

On your sub device (typically your tablet)

iPad

1. Tap Settings > Chats > Hidden chats.
2. Tap Edit next to the person you deleted > Unhide chat.
3. Return to the Home screen, tap the Chats tab, then choose the chat with them.
4. Tap Add.

Android

1. Tap the Home tab > Settings

> Chats > Hidden chats.
2. Tap Edit next to the person you deleted > Unhide chat.
3. Return to the Home screen, tap the Chats tab, then choose the chat with them.
4. Tap Add.

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If you want to prevent others from adding you as a friend in the future, see the information below that matches your situation.
Note: If you want to remove a user who is already your friend on LINE from your friends, see Deleting accounts from your friend list.

Be advised

Any links in steps directing to LINE in-app screens can only be opened on your main device.

Preventing others from adding you by phone number
Note: The contents of this section only apply to LINE accounts created with LINE versions earlier than 13.11.0 if you're not using LINE in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Thailand.

You can only use this feature on your main device (typically your smartphone).

If you don't want people that know your phone number to automatically add you as a friend:
1. Open LINE on the main device your account is registered to.
2. Tap the Home tab >

> Friends.
Note: Tap here to go to Settings.
3. Turn OFF Allow others to add me.

Preventing others from adding you by LINE ID

You can only use this feature on your main device (typically your smartphone).

If you want to prevent others from adding you as a friend by searching for your ID:
1. Open LINE on the main device your account is registered to.
2. Tap the Home tab >

> Profile.
Note: Tap here to go to your profile settings.
3. Turn OFF Allow others to add me by ID.

Preventing others from adding you by URL or QR code

If you want to prevent someone from adding you as a friend with a URL or QR code you shared with them (even if just once), you need to deactivate (regenerate) the URL/QR code.

1. Tap the Home tab > Add friends icon

> QR code > My QR code.
Note: Tap here to go to the Add friends screen.
2. Tap Regenerate.

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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, refer to the following steps:

For users with Android OS version 6.0 or later

1. From the Home tab, tap See more under Services.

2. Tap People Nearby.

3. Follow the steps below based on the pop-ups that appear:

• From the Allow location access pop-up message, tap Allow.

• From the Enable location services pop-up message, tap Go to Settings and turn ON location services from the settings menu on your device.

For users with a version of Android OS earlier than 6.0

1. From the Home tab, tap See more under Services.

2. Tap People Nearby.

3. From the Enable location services pop-up message, tap Go to Settings.

4. Turn ON location services from the settings menu on your device.

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There are several ways you can add friends with the LINE app. This article explains how to add friends based on the situation.

Topics covered

- Adding people you're with in person as friends

- Adding people who aren't nearby as friends

- Adding people who aren't or may not be using LINE as friends

Adding people you're with in person as friends:
If the other person is right in front of you, adding them as a friend with a QR code is convenient.

Be advised

Anyone using LINE can add you as a friend if they have your QR code. Be sure not to share it with people you don't know.

Having people add you as a friend by scanning your QR code

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap

on the right side of the search bar > My QR code.
Note: Tap here to go to the My QR code screen from your main device.
2. Have your friend scan your QR code with their QR code reader.
3. Tap the Home tab > add friends icon

at the top of the screen > add friend icon

next to their display name under Friend recommendations.
Note: Tap here to go to Friend recommendations from your main device.

Useful info

- If you tap Regenerate on the QR code screen, the previous QR code will become invalid and a new one will be generated.
- If you're using the QR code (e.g. on a business card or blog), be careful not to accidentally regenerate it.
By regenerating a QR code you no longer need, you can prevent others from misusing it to have people you don't know add you as a friend on LINE.

Adding people as friends by scanning their QR codes

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap

on the right side of the search bar.
Note: Tap here to go to the QR code scan screen from your main device.
2. Scan their QR code.
3. Tap Add.
Note: If your screen doesn't switch to the chat screen, you can send them a chat message by tapping the Home tab > Friends under Friend lists > your friend's display name > Chat.

Useful info

You can scan a QR code sent by someone by tapping the image icon at the bottom right of the QR code reader screen.

Adding people who aren't nearby as friends:
There are multiple ways to add someone as a friend if they aren't nearby. The other person will be notified if they are added as a friend via one of the following methods.

Adding friends by searching for their phone numbers (only for LINE accounts created with LINE versions earlier than 13.11.0 if you're not using LINE in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Thailand)

You can add friends by searching for their phone numbers by following the steps below. Try doing so after reading the following important points.

Important:
- In Japan, you can only use the phone number search feature if you are 18 or older and have verified your age.
- The other person needs to turn on Allow others to add me.

To search for someone by phone number, see the following steps.

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap the Home tab > add friends icon

.
Note: Tap here to go to the Add friends screen from your main device.
2. Tap Search.
3. Choose Phone number.
4. Select a country and enter your friend's phone number, then tap search icon

.

Useful info

If you can't add friends by searching for their phone numbers, see A friend can't be added using ID/phone number search.

Adding friends using LINE ID search

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap the Home icon > add friends icon

.
Note: Tap here to go to the Add friends screen from your main device.
2. Tap Search.
3. Choose ID.
4. Enter your friend's ID and tap search icon

.

If you're unable to search for their ID, see the following Help content.

A friend can't be added using ID/phone number search

Adding friends via links

You can add friends by having them access your link or by accessing theirs.

To add someone by sending them a link:

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap the Home icon > add friends icon

> QR code > My QR code.
Note: Tap here to go to Add friends screen from your main device.
2. Tap Copy link.
3. Send the link to the person you want to have add you as a friend.

Important: If your link is leaked, anyone using LINE will be able to add you as a friend. Take care not to share your link with people you don't know. If you want to prevent people you don't know from being able to add you as a friend, you can deactivate your current link by tapping Regenerate on the My QR code screen.

To add a friend using their link:
1. Tap the link you received.
2. Tap Add.

Adding people saved to your smartphone's contacts as friends

The steps to automatically add people saved to your smartphone's contacts as friends or to turn the feature off are as follows.
Important: The contents of this section only apply to LINE accounts created with LINE versions earlier than 13.11.0 if you're not using LINE in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Thailand.

Be advised

If you're using iOS, go to your device's Settings > Privacy & Security > Contacts and turn on LINE.

To turn on Auto-add friends:

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap the Home tab >

> Friends.
Note: Tap here to go to Settings on your main device.
2. Turn ON Auto-add friends.
Note: If Auto-add friends is already turned on, tap the refresh icon next to the last auto-add date to manually sync your contacts.

If you're unable to use Auto-add friends, please try adding them using QR codes, links to add friends, or through group members.

To turn off Auto-add friends:

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap the Home tab >

> Friends.
Note: Tap here to go to Settings on your main device.
2. Turn OFF Auto-add friends.

Useful info

To prevent certain people from being automatically added as friends on LINE, add a hashtag (#) before their names saved in your device's contacts (e.g. "#John Doe"). However, adding a hashtag before the name of someone you've already added on LINE will not delete them from your friend list.

If you don't know the LINE ID or contact information of the person you want to add but share a mutual acquaintance, you can add them as a friend with the following methods.

Adding friends in groups

1. Open a group chat.
2. Tap the icon of the member you want to add.
3. Tap Add.

Adding friends via Contact (having other friends introduce you to their friends on LINE)

To add a friend via Contact using their LINE account information, you need to have a separate friend send the contact information for the person you want to add via a chat message.

The following steps involve three people: you, the person you want to add as a friend, and the person who will introduce them to you.

Have the person who will introduce them perform the steps below.

1. Open their chat with you.
2. Tap plus icon

> Contact > LINE friend.
3. Select the person you want to add as a friend and tap Share at the top right of the screen.
4. The display name, profile icon, and status message of the person you want to add will appear in the chat.

Then, on your end:
1. Open your chat with the friend who performed the steps above.
2. Tap the profile icon of the person you want to add that appeared in the chat.
3. Tap Add.

If you're unable to add a friend via Contact, please try adding them using a QR code, a link to add a friend, or through a group member .

To add someone as a friend who has already added you on their end, you can do so from your Friend recommendations with the method below.

Adding friend recommendations as friends

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

Tap the Home tab > add friends icon

at the top of the screen > add friend icon

next to their display name under Friend recommendations.
Note: Tap here to go to Friend recommendations from your main device.

Adding people who aren't or may not be using LINE as friends:

Useful info

The text of an invitation email will display your name as it is set in LINE.

Be advised

The link in the steps can only be accessed on your main device.

1. Tap the Home icon > add friends icon

> Invite.
Note: Tap here to go to the Add friends screen from your main device.
2. Tap Text message or Email.
3. Choose someone and tap Invite.

The invitation will be sent using the text message or email features on your device. If an issue such as the invitee not receiving your text message occurs, contact your mobile service provider.
Note: Text message invitations only apply to users in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

See also:
I can't add friends
Deleting/hiding/blocking LINE accounts
Blocking accounts that appear in your friend recommendations

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LINE

Help center

Search Help articles

Friend/Friend recommendations basics

Topics covered

Friend/Friend recommendations basics

How friends work on LINE

How friend recommendations work

Topics covered

Differences between deleting/hiding/blocking LINE accounts and doing/undoing these actions

Re-adding deleted friends

Preventing others from adding you as a friend

Turning off friend requests

Why did I receive a message saying I cannot make a friend request?

Will users be notified if I delete their friend requests?

How will I know if a user accepted my friend request?

Do I have to allow access to my location information to use People Nearby?

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

People Nearby

Adding friends on LINE