Over the years, the messaging feature on Instagram has received lots of love. The inbox acts as a full-fledged chat app and is full of exciting features such as chat themes, custom emoji reactions, video calls, and Vanish mode. In case you are curious about Vanish mode on Instagram, you are at the right place. Here we shall tell you the meaning of Vanish mode and how to use it.
In this post, we have covered what is meant by Vanish mode and various queries that you might have regarding the feature. We have also covered how to enable or disable the Vanish mode and when to use the feature. Let’s get started.
What Does Vanish Mode Mean on Instagram
Vanish mode is a privacy feature for Instagram messages, which when enabled, makes the messages disappear automatically after the other person has seen them.
Traditionally, the messages stay in your inbox until you delete them or you unsend them. When the Vanish mode is activated for a contact, the messages will be erased from both parties’ inbox after the other person has seen them. You need to close the chat, and the messages would have disappeared after you reopen it.
Vanish mode can be considered as the power-packed version of the unsend feature. Often, we unsend messages when we don’t want both parties to keep a record of them. Now, if you have many such messages, it would be a herculean task to unsend them one by one. This is where Vanish mode comes into the picture.
So in a nutshell, Vanish mode offers ephemeral messaging that disappears once the receiver has seen them.
Tip: Know what happens when you uninstall Instagram from your phone.
Things To Keep In Mind When Using Vanish Mode
Now that you know the meaning of Instagram’s Vanish mode, here are some things to keep in mind while using the mode.
Vanish Mode Sends Screenshot Notifications
One of the important capabilities that Vanish mode brings is the screenshot notification. If you take a screenshot when Vanish mode is active, the other person will be notified about it. So be careful. However, screenshot notifications aren’t sent when you screenshot regular messages.
Tip: Know if people are notified if you take a screenshot of their Instagram photos.
Vanish Mode Doesn’t Work for Group Chats
Vanish mode in Insta DM only works for one-to-one messaging. That is between you and one other person. It doesn’t work for group chats. You can, however, keep the Vanish mode enabled for multiple chats at the same time.
Tip: Check out the best Instagram group chat tips and tricks.
All Kinds of Messages Are Supported in Vanish Mode But With Limited Functionality
Vanish mode doesn’t put any restriction on the type of messages that you can send when its active. You can send all types of messages such as text messages, voice notes, photos, stickers, GIFs, etc. All of them will disappear after the other person sees them.
However, unlike regular messages, you can’t copy, forward, or save messages that are sent in Vanish Mode.
Other Person Will Know Vanish Mode is Active
When Vanish mode is activated in a chat, no notification will be sent to the other person. But please remember that Vanish mode is activated for both sides i.e., sender and receiver of the message. Moreover, they will see a different screen with Vanish mode written clearly on the chat screen along with the message ‘Seen messages will disappear when you close the chat’. So yes, the other person will come to know that the Vanish mode is active in the chat. Further, the other person can turn off Vanish mode as well.
However, if you accidentally turn on Vanish mode and then immediately turn it off, the other person will not know that you had turned on Vanish mode.
Note: Just like regular messages, you will get notifications for messages received in Vanish mode.
Old Messages Sent Outside of Vanish Mode Aren’t Deleted
When you activate Vanish mode, you will see an empty screen devoid of your old messages. And that could surprise many users. But don’t worry. Messages sent outside of Vanish mode aren’t deleted. As soon as you turn off the mode, you will see your regular messages. Basically, old regular messages won’t disappear if Vanish mode is enabled or disabled and you only need to close Vanish mode to see old messages.
Vanish Mode Remains Active Until Turned Off
If you are wondering, ‘How long does vanish mode remain active’, the answer is that the mode remains active until you or the other user manually turns it off. Even if you close the chat and open it again, you can start chatting in Vanish mode directly if it’s active. However, the older messages won’t be there.
Unsend Works in Vanish Mode
Interestingly, the unsend feature of Instagram works within the Vanish mode as well. However, you have to be quick and unsend it before the other person sees it. Once he/she sees the message, you cannot unsend it as it would have disappeared automatically.
Tip: Find out how to see the first message on Instagram without scrolling to the top.
Vanish Mode Works Only on Mobile Apps
Vanish mode doesn’t work on the web version of Instagram. So you can neither enable nor disable it from a computer.
Vanish Mode Messages Cannot Be Recovered
Once messages are deleted by Vanish mode, they cannot be recovered.
How to Turn on Vanish Mode
Open the chat in Instagram for which you want to enable Vanish mode. Swipe up from the bottom to the top of the chat until you see a Vanish mode screen.
Tip: Know how to stop receiving messages on Instagram without blocking.
How to Turn off Vanish Mode on Instagram
You can disable or get out of Vanish mode on Instagram in the following ways:
Method 1: Swipe Up
Open the chat in which you want to turn off Vanish mode. Swipe up from the bottom to the center of the chat screen and release to turn it off.
Method 2: From Chat Settings
Step 1: Open the Instagram chat and tap on the user’s name at the top. Go to Privacy & safety.
Step 2: Turn off the toggle next to Vanish mode.
Note: Both the participants of the chat can enable or disable Vanish mode anytime.
What Happens When You Turn off Vanish Mode
When you turn off Vanish mode in a chat on Instagram, you will be taken back to the normal chat. You will see your old messages that were sent outside of Vanish mode. And everything will appear normal.
If you turn off Vanish mode before the other person has seen your disappearing message, the message will still arrive as a disappearing message in their inbox. Once they see it, the message will be removed from the inbox of both parties.
Note: Even screenshots taken for vanishing messages after the mode has been turned off will show a notification.
When and Why to Use Vanish Mode
If you are still confused about when to use Vanish mode or why people enable Vanish mode on Instagram, the following reasons could help you find the answer.
Privacy: The first major reason is privacy. Since messages are deleted automatically, one doesn’t have to think about what if someone goes through their Instagram inbox and reads the messages. With Vanish mode, the messages won’t be there. They are like disposable messages – use and throw.
Confidential data: The next reason is if someone is sending a piece of confidential information that they don’t want you to access later. For instance, a private photo, vulnerable story, or bank details.
Keeping Inbox Clean: Many users like to keep their Instagram inbox clean and empty with no history of past messages. That’s also where Vanish mode comes in handy.
Tip: How to enable end-to-end encryption for Instagram messages.
Bonus Tip: Vanish Mode Not Working or Showing
The Vanish mode on Instagram may not work in the following situations:
- As per Instagram’s official support page, this feature is unavailable for countries located in Europe.
- Vanish mode might not work with some professional Instagram accounts.
- Accounts with whom you have never chatted before won’t be able to send you message requests in Vanish mode.
- If the other person has yet to see the messages sent in Vanish mode, then the message will still be visible to you until he/she sees it.
- Try updating the Instagram app and clearing its cache (Android only).
FAQs
The unsend feature can be used on one message at a time only. Also, it’s not automatic. You have to manually unsend each message. On the contrary, Vanish mode is an automatic feature to delete messages in bulk.
Unfortunately, no. Many Instagram users are annoyed by the fact that Vanish mode is activated easily by swiping up. It happens accidentally many times. But, there is no way to turn it off.
Stay Silent, Instagram
Hope you enjoyed reading this tutorial on Instagram’s Vanish mode. Also know how to send silent messages on Insta without disturbing the other user. And how to silence notifications temporarily using Quiet mode.
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