In the digital age we live in today, secret notes passed in class, and messages in invisible ink seem like a long-forgotten tradition of growing up. But thanks to the geniuses at Meta, Instagram Vanish Mode is giving secret messages a grand return. Thankfully, this time it doesn’t involve lemon juice and irons to get it to work. All you need is to change your settings.
Vanish Mode was introduced in 2021 for Instagram. Although Meta allowed Instagram and Messenger users to message each other through their respective apps, the Vanish Mode feature only applies to Instagram users. Snapchat users may be familiar with the idea of vanishing messages, except Instagram’s version allows you to control which messages you want to disappear.
Secrets staying secret
While using Vanish Mode on Instagram, your messages will disappear after everyone in the chat has seen them. Once they close out of the chat, the message disappears out of thin air. Of course, because of this, messages sent in Vanish Mode can’t be copied, saved, or forwarded to other users. You must also message the person before using Vanish Mode with them. You can’t send message requests in Vanish Mode. Plus, certain verified users can opt out of Vanish Mode altogether.
However, for those hoping to avoid the dreaded screenshots, Instagram is still working on a fix for that feature. Thankfully you’ll be able to be notified if someone does screenshot or screen record your Vanish Mode messages, so you know who you can no longer trust. Less fortunate, Instagram still can’t tell if someone takes a photo of their screen with a different device, so you won’t be notified if that happens.
Turning on Vanish Mode
Thankfully, getting Vanish Mode on Instagram is as simple as a swipe, literally. You can only use the feature on the mobile versions of Instagram, but it is available for both iOS and Android. With the feature being available since 2021, you most likely have the most updated app version already. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you have the latest version of Instagram as well.
Once you login onto the app, head to your messages icon, either represented by a chat bubble or paper airplane. Click on any message chain you have ongoing. Then, swipe up. You’ll know you’ve done it successfully if your previous messages with that person now say “Sent outside vanish mode” at the top. The nice thing is once you turn on vanish mode, it turns on for everyone involved in the conversation. So even if a friend of yours sends you a vanishing message, you’ll automatically be put in vanish mode as well.
Not so-nice messages?
Naturally, hearing about a feature like this may make some people worried, especially parents of younger kids online. Vanish Mode seems like the perfect place for Instagram bullies to send rude and hurtful messages to people. But thankfully, Instagram also considered this when designing the new messaging favor.
Even though the messages will disappear once you read them, you can still report “vanishing” messages to Instagram. So if you plan on using this feature to harass someone you don’t like, keep in mind you could still risk losing your Instagram account if the moderators deem your message as hate speech. Thankfully, if you’re the one reporting Vanish Mode messages, your report is kept anonymous from the person you’re reporting.
Regardless of the reason you’re looking to use Vanish Mode on Instagram, it’s easy to turn on and start using. Just make sure you’re careful with what you’re using.