If you’ve ever wished that Instagram messages would never linger in the chat, start conversations in “Vanish Mode.”
It’s similar to Snapchat’s messaging feature but offers the flexibility to turn on and turn off this Mode as needed.
To turn on Vanish Mode, Open the Chat on your Instagram app and Swipe up. Similarly, if you want to turn off Vanish Mode, just tap on the “Turn off Vanish Mode” button at the top.
But before you start using this feature, let’s quickly dive into how it works.
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What is Instagram Vanish Mode?
Instagram’s Vanish Mode is a secret chat feature that self-erases users’ content after all the participants have viewed it and they leave the chat.
In this chat mode, you can send disappearing texts, videos, pictures, voice messages, and more.
Since the Chat does not retain any content, you can switch to Vanish mode whenever you want to share confidential information with someone. But, if you want to save the chat content, this feature might not be suitable for you.
How to Turn On/Off Instagram Vanish Mode?
Here are the steps to enable/disable Vanish Mode on both iOS and Android Mobile apps.
- Launch the Instagram app and log in to your account if required.
- On the top-right corner, tap on the DM/Messenger icon.
- Open a chat with a user. Then, Swipe up in the chat and release to turn on the Vanish Mode.
- To turn it off again, Swipe up and release it in the Vansih Mode chat.
Alternatively, if swiping up does not work for you, you can do this from the Chat Privacy & Safety menu.
- On your Instagram app, open Chat with a user.
- Tap on the Username at the top.
- Head to Privacy & safety.
- On Vanish Mode, toggle the button on/off.
Can’t Turn On/Off Instagram Vanish Mode?
If you’re unable to use the Instagram Vanish Mode, update the Instagram app on your devices. Since it is a new feature, you would have to install the latest update to use it.
Besides, in case you are still unable to access the Vanish Mode, it could be due to geographical restrictions. According to Instagram, this feature is not available in a few European countries and Japan.
Also, are you using a professional account? If so, some of the professional accounts won’t receive disappearing messages in Vanish Mode. In that case, you can try using this feature in a personal account.
Things to Consider When Using Instagram Vanish Mode
Here are some of the tips and notes I’ve gathered from my experience when using this chat mode.
- You can start Vanish Mode only with users you follow or have a past connection. So, you cannot request this mode for new connections.
- Vanish Mode is limited to a one-on-one chat and is not available for the group chat.
- Contents from the Vanish Mode disappear only when everyone sees them and you close the chat. If the content is unseen, it’ll stay there like your regular chat.
- If you’re both having spontaneous conversations and you accidentally close the chat, all the contents will be gone. So, be careful! This is very common and happens mostly to everyone, including me.
- Even if the Vanish message is not seen, you can still turn it off and switch to a normal chat.
- While the mode is on, if the other person or you decide to take a screenshot or record screen, it’ll get notified in the chat.
- If the screen record was already on before entering the vanish mode, you will not be notified.
- Vanish Mode won’t allow you to copy or forward the contents in the chats.
- Sometimes, it is possible that turning on the Vanish Mode might not be intentional. Since it activates as soon as someone swipes up, it could be accidental. Either way, you can turn off the mode or contact the user directly in such instances.
- You can know a chat is in Vanish Mode without opening the chat. In the Instagram DM, you’ll see a small dotted circle in front of the camera.
