--- title: "LINE 101: official accounts people add as friends" summary: "How LINE Official Accounts, the Messaging API, LINE notification messages and MINI Apps work, how LY Corporation prices them in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, and when LINE is worth adding." canonical: https://cpaas.co/en/learn/line-101 kind: explainer depth: foundation origin: original published: 2026-10-13T16:26:18.899Z updated: 2026-10-14T16:26:19.805Z topics: ["Messaging", "Fundamentals", "Conversational Marketing"] language: en --- # LINE 101: official accounts people add as friends LINE is a messaging app run by LY Corporation, the Japanese company formed when LINE Corporation and Yahoo Japan's parent combined. In Japan, Taiwan and Thailand it is where many people chat with family, friends, shops, banks and public services. Businesses reach them in four ways: a **LINE Official Account** (a business profile people add as a "friend"), the **Messaging API** (the interface your software uses to send and receive through that account), **LINE notification messages** (service notices sent to a customer's phone number, in three markets only) and **LINE MINI Apps** (small web apps that open inside LINE). ## At a glance LINE is an [OTT](/en/learn/glossary#ott) app: messages travel over the internet, not through a mobile operator's SMS network. LY Corporation runs the app, the business accounts and the rules. On its overseas business page, LY lists about 100 million monthly active users in Japan, 54 million in Thailand and 22 million in Taiwan, and about 193 million worldwide (page accessed October 2026).[^3] In August 2026 it described LINE as used by over 170 million monthly active users across those three markets.[^4] ```diagram:compare | Official Account and Messaging API | LINE notification messages What it is | A business account people add as a friend, run by staff or by software | Service notices sent to a customer's phone number from your official account Who starts the conversation | The person adds you as a friend; you may then message them | The business, for a service the person used; the person agrees on first receipt How it is priced | A monthly plan with a message allowance; replies are not counted | Separate from the public plans; ask LY Corporation or a sales partner Where it works | Strongest in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan | Japan, Thailand and Taiwan only Best for | Updates, coupons, support and membership for people who follow you | Booking, delivery and payment notices for existing customers Avoid for | Audiences outside LINE's main markets | Marketing > As of October 2026, from LY Corporation's own pages as cited in the text. ``` ## How it works ### The official account A business opens a LINE Official Account and may apply for verification. LINE's help centre describes two types: **verified** accounts, which pass LY's review, carry a badge and appear in LINE's in-app search, and **unverified** accounts, which anyone can open but which do not appear in search.[^16] In Japan, since 1 April 2026, verified accounts show a green check mark and the separate badge for unverified accounts has been dropped.[^17] People find the account through a QR code, a link or search, and press "Add friend"; the account can then broadcast to them and chat one to one. Because a person must add you first, every LINE audience is an [opt-in](/en/learn/glossary#opt-in) audience by design, and the person can block the account at any time. ### The Messaging API The Messaging API is the documented [API](/en/learn/glossary#api) that lets software act for the official account: answer questions as a [chatbot](/en/learn/glossary#chatbot), send updates, show a **rich menu** (a panel of buttons under the chat) and link a LINE friend to a customer login.[^5] Since 4 September 2024, a business cannot create a Messaging API channel on its own: it first creates the official account, then switches the API on in LINE Official Account Manager.[^7] So the account should sit in your own business's name. LINE tells your system about each event (a new friend, a message, a block) through a [webhook](/en/learn/glossary#webhook), an address on your side that LINE calls. Your system then answers in one of two ways that matter for cost:[^6] - a **reply message** answers an event the person just triggered, using a short-lived token LINE attaches to that event; - a **push message** (and its bulk forms: multicast, broadcast and narrowcast) is sent whenever your business decides. ```diagram:path # A message from your system to a LINE friend Your system | Decides to send an update, or answers an event | A request signed with the channel's access token Messaging API | Checks the token and the account's monthly limit | The message, or an error if the limit is reached LINE's platform | Delivers it to the person's LINE app | The message on screen The person | Reads it, taps the rich menu or replies | A new event Your webhook | Receives the event and passes it to your software or your team ``` ### LINE notification messages LINE notification messages let an official account write to a customer who has **not** added it as a friend, using the phone number the customer gave the business.[^8] The business sends the number in a standard international format, scrambled with a one-way hash (SHA-256); LINE uses it only to find the matching account.[^9] On first receipt the person sees a notice and must agree to receive these messages, and must confirm their phone number by SMS once every 180 days to keep receiving them; if the person has refused, has no matching account or has not accepted LINE's current privacy policy, the API returns an error and nothing is delivered.[^9] The service is available only to official accounts in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, and is meant for notices such as reservations or deliveries.[^8] ### LINE MINI Apps A LINE MINI App is a web app that opens inside LINE: a menu, a booking form, a membership card. A developer chooses Japan, Thailand or Taiwan as the region a MINI App serves and needs a separate channel for each region.[^10] ## A short history LINE launched on 23 June 2011, built by engineers at NHN Japan, the Japanese arm of South Korea's NHN (now NAVER), in the months after the Great East Japan Earthquake; it began as a simple text-messaging service.[^1] NHN Japan renamed itself LINE Corporation in April 2013.[^1] In July 2016 LINE listed in New York and Tokyo, raising over US$1.1 billion in the year's largest technology listing to that date;[^24] it delisted in December 2020 ahead of its merger with Z Holdings, the parent of Yahoo Japan, completed in March 2021.[^1][^2] On 1 October 2023 the group reorganised into one company, LY Corporation.[^2] Since then the changes that matter to businesses have been prices (Japan's plans in June 2023 and its extra-message fees in October 2026),[^12][^13] a 2023 data leak that brought guidance from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) in 2024,[^18][^19] a new Messaging API setup in September 2024[^7] and the Agent i AI brand in April 2026.[^25] ```diagram:timeline # LINE for business, oldest first June 2011 | LINE launches | A text-messaging app built by NHN Japan April 2013 | NHN Japan becomes LINE Corporation | The company takes the app's name July 2016 | Listing in New York and Tokyo | Over US$1.1 billion raised March 2021 | Integration with Z Holdings | LINE joins Yahoo Japan's parent June 2023 | Japan's official-account plans revised | Smaller allowances on paid plans October 2023 | LY Corporation formed | One company for LINE and Yahoo Japan March 2024 | Guidance from Japan's MIC | After the 2023 data leak September 2024 | Messaging API starts from the official account | No more standalone channels April 2026 | Agent i and the green verified badge | AI agent brand; new badge in Japan October 2026 | New extra-message fees in Japan | Tiered price above the plan allowance ``` ## Where it is used - **Asia-Pacific.** Japan is LINE's largest market at about 100 million monthly active users, followed by Thailand at about 54 million and Taiwan at about 22 million, according to LY's overseas business page.[^3] Those three markets account for most of the roughly 193 million users LY reports worldwide.[^3][^4] LINE notification messages and MINI Apps are offered only in these three markets.[^8][^10] - **Elsewhere in Asia.** The LY pages cited here give no current figures for other countries. - **Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.** LY reports no large user base here. A business in these regions mostly needs LINE to serve visitors, students, residents or buyers from Japan, Thailand or Taiwan. The practical test is your own audience: if most of your customers do not live in Japan, Thailand or Taiwan, ask them before you build anything. ## What businesses use it for - **Notifications:** order, delivery, booking and account updates to people who added you as a friend, or through notification messages where that service is offered. See [notifications](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/notifications) and [booking](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/booking). - **Marketing:** broadcasts, coupons and segmented messages to friends, within the plan's allowance. See [marketing](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/marketing). - **Support:** one-to-one chats handled by staff, a chatbot or both, ideally in a [unified inbox](/en/learn/glossary#unified-inbox) with your other channels. See [support](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/support) and [chatbots](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/chatbot). - **Membership:** digital member cards and point programmes, often built as MINI Apps.[^10] See [membership](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/membership). - **Commerce:** menus, ordering and booking inside LINE through MINI Apps. See [commerce](/en/ecosystem/use-cases/commerce). ## What it costs LINE prices the account, not each conversation: a monthly plan includes a number of messages, and the Messaging API rules set what counts:[^6] - **Counted:** push, multicast, broadcast and narrowcast messages, one per recipient, however many speech bubbles a single send contains. - **Not counted:** reply messages; messages to people who blocked the account are excluded too. - **Over the limit:** once the month's allowance is used up, further sends return an error, unless the plan allows paid extra messages. One-to-one chat by staff is also outside the count in Japan.[^12] Plans and prices are set per country. **Japan** (before tax, as of October 2026): the free Communication plan includes 200 messages a month with no extras; the Light plan costs ¥5,000 a month for 5,000 messages, with no extras; the Standard plan costs ¥15,000 a month for 30,000 messages and is the only plan that can buy more.[^11][^12] Since 1 October 2026, extra messages cost ¥3 each up to 200,000 a month and ¥2.5 each above that.[^13] The June 2023 revision cut the Light allowance from 15,000 to 5,000 messages and the Standard allowance from 45,000 to 30,000.[^12] **Thailand** (as listed by LINE Thailand, October 2026): a free tier with 300 messages a month; Basic at 1,280 baht a month for 15,000 messages; and Pro at 1,780 baht a month for 35,000 messages, with paid extra messages on the paid plans.[^14] **Taiwan** (from 1 November 2026, before tax): the light plan stays free with 200 messages; the middle plan rises to NT$1,000 a month for 3,000 messages, with no extras; the high plan rises to NT$1,400 a month for 6,000 messages, with extra messages at NT$0.2 each up to 50,000 and NT$0.15 beyond.[^15] ```diagram:bars # Messages included each month, Japan's plans Communication | 200 | Free, no extra messages Light | 5000 | ¥5,000 a month, no extra messages Standard | 30000 | ¥15,000 a month, extra messages allowed > From LINE Yahoo for Business, as stated in the text (October 2026). ``` Beyond the plan you pay for your software or provider, any MINI App work and payment fees. LINE notification messages are priced separately from these plans. ## Rules and regulation This section describes rules; it is not legal advice. **Platform rules.** LY reviews accounts that apply for verification, and only verified accounts appear in in-app search.[^16] Its plans, verification badges and features differ by country, so check the rules of each market you serve.[^17][^10] **Consent.** A friend has chosen to hear from you, but LINE does not record what they agreed to. Keep your own record of the purpose and an easy [opt-out](/en/learn/glossary#opt-out) (see [consent is a data model](/en/learn/consent-is-a-data-model)). Notification messages carry their own consent step on first receipt and a phone check every 180 days.[^9] **Data protection in Japan.** In November 2023 LY reported unauthorised access that began with malware on a PC at a contractor shared with NAVER Cloud; it later put the leak at 302,569 records of user information, 129,894 of them about users in Japan.[^18] Japan's MIC treated it as a breach of the secrecy of communications under the Telecommunications Business Act and on 5 March 2024 issued written guidance requiring stronger security, including limits on network access from NAVER's systems.[^19] A second guidance followed on 16 April 2024; LY said it was not in a position to decide changes to its capital relationship with NAVER on its own and had asked its parent company to consider them.[^20] Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) also issued a request for reports and a recommendation, and LY publishes its progress.[^21] LY reported separating its authentication system from NAVER's by March 2025 and set the end of December 2025 as the target for ending its outsourcing to NAVER and NAVER Cloud.[^22] In May 2024 The Japan Times reported that SoftBank was in talks with NAVER over control of LY.[^23] **Other markets.** Thailand and Taiwan have their own personal-data laws, which apply whatever app carries the message; ask your provider where data is stored (see [data residency](/en/learn/glossary#data-residency)). ```diagram:checklist # Before you launch on LINE The official account is in your business's own name | The Messaging API hangs off it You know which country's plan and rules apply | Plans differ in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan You record what each friend signed up for | LINE only shows they added you Broadcasts fit the month's allowance | Above it, sends fail or cost extra [!] Notification messages used for promotions | They are meant for service notices ``` ## Limits and pitfalls - **Concentrated reach.** Outside Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, LINE is unlikely to reach most of your customers.[^3] - **The allowance runs out.** On plans without extra messages, sends beyond the month's allowance fail with an error; in Japan only the Standard plan can buy more.[^6][^12] - **Replies are free, pushes are not.** Answering people in the moment uses uncounted reply messages; pushing updates uses the allowance.[^6] - **Blocks are silent.** People who block the account stop counting, and stop hearing from you.[^6] - **Country by country.** Notification messages and MINI Apps work only in three markets,[^8][^10] and prices change often: Japan's extra-message fees changed in October 2026 and Taiwan's plans change in November 2026.[^13][^15] - **Identity.** Linking a LINE friend to a customer record needs the person's login or consent; see [omnichannel is an identity problem](/en/learn/omnichannel-is-an-identity-problem). ## Strengths and weaknesses ```diagram:compare | Strengths | Weaknesses Reach | Everyday app in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan | Small or unknown audiences elsewhere Consent | Every friend chose to add you | Friends can block you at any time Cost | Replies and one-to-one chats are not counted | Pushes and broadcasts use a monthly allowance Richness | Rich menus, chatbots and MINI Apps | Features and plans differ by country Phone-number reach | Notification messages without being a friend | Only in three markets, with consent on first receipt Trust | Verified badges and published security reports | A 2023 data leak and regulator guidance in Japan ``` ## What comes next Only what LY Corporation has announced or regulators have set: - **New prices.** Japan's tiered extra-message fees took effect on 1 October 2026.[^13] Taiwan's new plan prices take effect on 1 November 2026; customers who disagree had to move to the free plan by 27 October 2026.[^15] - **AI agents.** In April 2026 LY launched Agent i, an AI agent brand that combines Yahoo! JAPAN's AI Assistant with LINE's AI features and can be opened from LINE.[^25] LY has not said how it will change official accounts. - **Governance.** LY continues to report on separating its systems from NAVER's to Japan's regulators.[^21][^22] The capital question raised in 2024 had not been publicly settled in the sources cited here.[^20][^23] ## When to choose it Choose LINE when many of your customers live in Japan, Thailand or Taiwan, will add you as a friend, and would value rich menus, coupons and bots in the app they open daily. Add notification messages to reach existing customers there who have not added you. Look elsewhere when your audience is mostly outside those markets, when your pushes would far exceed a plan's allowance, or when you must reach people who have not chosen you. For comparisons, see [channels are not interchangeable](/en/learn/channels-are-not-interchangeable), [choosing a channel per message](/en/learn/choosing-a-channel-per-message), the [LINE channel page](/en/ecosystem/channels/line) and the Channels 101 chooser, [which channel for which need](/en/learn/which-channel-for-what). The [Telegram](/en/learn/telegram-101) and [Viber](/en/learn/viber-101) primers cover two other regional chat apps. ```diagram:decision # Is LINE right for this message? Do most of the recipients live in Japan, Thailand or Taiwan? | | Use a channel they already use Has the person added your official account as a friend? | Send it through the official account | Is it a service notice to an existing customer? | Consider LINE notification messages | Invite them to add you as a friend first ``` ## Sources [^1]: [History - LINE Corporation](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/company/history/line/) — LY Corporation, accessed 2026-10 [^2]: [History - LY Corporation](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/company/history/lycorp/) — LY Corporation, accessed 2026-10 [^3]: [Business Development Outside of Japan](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/company/global/) — LY Corporation, accessed 2026-10 [^4]: [15 Years of LINE: How LINE Has Addressed Disasters in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand (Part 2)](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/story/20260828/lifesaving_2.html) — LY Corporation, 2026-08-28 [^5]: [Messaging API overview](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/overview/) — LINE Developers, accessed 2026-10 [^6]: [Messaging API pricing](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/pricing/) — LINE Developers, accessed 2026-10 [^7]: [Get started with the Messaging API](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/messaging-api/getting-started/) — LINE Developers, accessed 2026-10 [^8]: [LINE notification messages overview](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/partner-docs/line-notification-messages/overview/) — LINE Developers, accessed 2026-10 [^9]: [Technical specifications of the LINE notification messages API](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/partner-docs/line-notification-messages/technical-specs/) — LINE Developers, accessed 2026-10 [^10]: [LINE MINI App: Getting started](https://developers.line.biz/en/docs/line-mini-app/develop/develop-overview/) — LINE Developers, accessed 2026-10 [^11]: [LINE公式アカウントの料金プラン (LINE Official Account price plans)](https://www.lycbiz.com/jp/service/line-official-account/plan/) — LINE Yahoo for Business, accessed 2026-10 [^12]: [LINE公式アカウント 料金プラン改定のお知らせ (Notice of price plan revision)](https://www.lycbiz.com/jp/news/line-official-account/20230601/) — LINE Yahoo for Business, 2023-06-01 [^13]: [LINE公式アカウント 追加メッセージ料金改定のお知らせ (Notice of additional message fee revision)](https://www.lycbiz.com/jp/news/line-official-account/20261001/) — LINE Yahoo for Business, 2026-10-01 [^14]: [LINE Official Account features](https://lineforbusiness.com/th/service/line-oa-features) — LINE for Business Thailand, accessed 2026-10 [^15]: [2026年 LINE 官方帳號方案價格調整 (2026 LINE Official Account plan price adjustment)](https://tw.linebiz.com/column/LINEOA-2026-Price-Plan/) — LINE Biz-Solutions Taiwan, 2026 [^16]: [Official account types](https://help2.line.me/official_account_jp/web/?contentId=20011726&lang=en) — LINE Help Center, accessed 2026-10 [^17]: [「LINE公式アカウント」の認証バッジを刷新、国内の認証済アカウントは緑色のチェックマークに統一 (Verified badge redesigned)](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/ja/news/release/020255/) — LY Corporation, 2026-04-01 [^18]: [Notice and apology regarding information leakage due to unauthorized access](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/news/announcements/001003/) — LY Corporation, 2023-11-27 [^19]: [Measures (Guidance) for Ensuring Protection of Secrecy of Communications and Cyber Security at LY Corporation](https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/eng/pressrelease/2024/3/5_1.html) — Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan, 2024-03-05 [^20]: [Regarding Administrative Guidance Issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/ir/news/auto_20240416571376/pdfFile.pdf) — LY Corporation, 2024-04-16 [^21]: [Information and Progress on Measures to Prevent Recurrence in Accordance with PPC's Request for Reports, Etc. and Recommendation](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/privacy-security/recurrence-prevention/ppc/) — LY Corporation, accessed 2026-10 [^22]: [Report Submitted on March 31, 2025 in Response to MIC's Administrative Guidance](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/news/2025/20250331_1_appendix_en.pdf) — LY Corporation, 2025-03-31 [^23]: [SoftBank in talks with Naver over control of Line operator LY](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2024/05/09/softbank-naver-line-ly/) — The Japan Times, 2024-05-09 [^24]: [Line's share price jumps 50% on Tokyo debut as IPO raises over $1.1B](https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/14/line-pop/) — TechCrunch, 2016-07-14 [^25]: [LY Corporation Launches New AI Agent Brand "Agent i" Today](https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/news/release/020398/) — LY Corporation, 2026-04-20 --- Published by the company behind five products in this category. 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