Tokyo, Japan – July 22, 2014 – LINE Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, today announced the release of the Hidden Chats feature for the Android and iPhone versions of the LINE app. The new feature lets users send messages with a time limit attached to them.

Hidden Chats can be used in 1-to-1 chats between supported devices. A separate room exclusive to Hidden Chats is created and a filter attached to the messages makes it impossible to view the contents directly. Text, stickers, images, location info, and contact info can be sent, and viewing limits of 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week can be attached to the messages.

The receiver of the message can tap the protected content to view it, at the same time starting the countdown timer for the message. After the predetermined amount of time passes, the contents of the message will be automatically deleted, making them perfect for sending information to be shared temporarily with friends, family, or loved ones.

Through the introduction of the Hidden Chats feature, LINE hopes to increase the convenience and safety that its service offers to its users.

iPhone 4,4S, or 5 smartphones with iOS 5.0 or later, or smartphones with Android 2.3 or later.

Feature can be used after updating the app to the latest version.The Hidden Chats feature is not available in some regions. More supported countries will be added in the future. This feature is also not available on BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows Phone devices.