If you’ve ever used SnapChat you’re probably familiar with how received messages simply disappear after they have been read.
Well, now Instagram’s Chat tool has a similar feature called ‘Vanish Mode’.
In a nutshell, Vanish Mode adds an extra layer of security to your Instagram chats by preventing them from hanging around long after a chat session has ended.
Just like Snapchat messages, the Instagram messages you send in a thread that has Vanish Mode enabled on it will simply fade away into the ether after the recipient has read them, never to be seen by the recipient again.
Want to give Vanish Mode a try? Simply sign into your Instagram account and do the following:
1 – Tap the Chat icon.
2 – Either create a new message thread or select an existing thread from the list.
3 – Activate Vanish Mode by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
Note: You should now see some “Shushing” emojis on the screen. Those emojis indicate that you are now chatting in Vanish Mode.
4 – Type out your message and send it the same way you’ve always done it.
That’s all there is to it. After the recipient reads your message it’ll automatically be deleted from both their account and their device.
To turn off Vanish Mode, do this:
1 – Open a chat that Vanish Mode is enabled on.
2 – Swipe up from the bottom side of the screen and hold your finger on the screen until you see “Release to turn off Vanish Mode”, then swipe up towards the top of the screen.
Bottom line: Instagram’s Vanish Mode is yet another tool for making your activities on the Internet a little more secure.
However, just like the disappearing messages in SnapChat, Vanish Mode cannot and will not guarantee that your Instagram messages won’t get compromised. This is why.