LINE has just unveiled a new feature called Hidden Chats, which have their own dedicated chat window and allow messages to be sent securely and privately.
Once received, the receiver taps on the message, the contents will only be displayed for a pre-set amount of time — which can be chosen from 2, 5, or 10 seconds; 1 minute; 1 hour; 1 day; or 1 week. After the time expires, the message will be deleted automatically a la Snapchat or Telegram. All unopened messages are automatically deleted from LINE’s servers after a two week period.
Hidden Chats are limited to text, stickers, location info, contact info, and images, so if you’re thinking about sending video, voice, snap movies, albums, or notes to your LINE buddies, you won’t be able to.
Sending these messages is simple enough:
- Open a 1-to-1 chat with the person you’d like to message as normal, and tap “Hidden Chat” from the menu at the top of the chat room. Hidden chats cannot be used in group chats or multi-person chats.
- Send messages or images in the Hidden Chat room as usual. The Timer (amount of time recipient can view the message) is set to 1 minute by default, but the time can be changed from the menu at the top of the screen.
This is an interesting new feature choice for LINE, which is seeking an IPO valued at $10 billion USD. The app’s focus, as it looks to expand in a big way in the United States market, has shifted to gaming. It’ll be interesting to see if this new feature brings some users from Snapchat and Telegram over with the promise of games, stickers, and additional content to boot.
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