Vanish mode is a messaging feature that Instagram launched at the end of 2020. It allows you to send direct messages that disappear completely after a certain amount of time.
This means people can send private messages to each other with no chat history, allowing you to have a secret conversation with somebody without anyone ever finding out.
Besides, one important thing to note is that if you’re in vanish mode and take a screenshot of the chat, Instagram will notify the other person. In the same way as screenshotting a Snapchat chat, a message appears in the conversation that says “you took a screenshot”.
How to use Vanish Mode on Instagram
- Open the Instagram app and go to the chat page by tapping the “Chat” icon at the top right corner of the screen.
- Open an existing chat or use the “New Message” button at the top right to create a new chat.
- To start Vanish Mode, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and release.
- The screen will turn black and a bunch of “Shush” emojis will fall from the top of the screen to indicate you’re in Vanish Mode. Send your messages as usual. The recipient’s chat window will also be black, with a message on the screen indicating that it’s in Vanish Mode.
- When you want to end Vanish Mode and go back to messaging, as usual, tap “Turn Off Vanish Mode” at the top of the screen. Both you and the recipient will exit Vanish mode, but you’ll still be able to see the messages you sent in Vanish mode until you close the window. After that, they’ll be gone forever.
