- Vanish Mode on Instagram allows you to send disappearing texts, images, and videos to users in DMs.
- To use the feature, open the Instagram app -> open a chat -> swipe up on chat to turn vanish mode on or off.
- The feature is not available on the web version or desktop Instagram app.
Vanish mode in Instagram has been around for some time now, having been introduced way back in 2020. However, it is very much possible that you haven’t used it yet. If that case, you should give it a try to keep your messages away from prying eyes. Following Snapchat’s lead, Vanish mode basically allows you to send disappearing messages on Instagram in the form of texts, images, videos, and more. These messages are permanently deleted as soon as you close the chat. So, if you want to turn on or off vanish mode on Instagram, read on.
The steps to turn vanish mode on or off on Instagram is the same, whether you are on an Android or iOS. So, I used my Android device to give you a quick rundown. Take a look:
- Open the Instagram Android or iOS app and head over to your chats (DMs).
- Open the Instagram chat that you want to turn on vanish mode for.
- Now, swipe up in the chat till you see the “Release to turn on vanish mode” message at the bottom.
- As soon as you see this message, release your finger. Voila! Vanish Mode shall instantly be turned on, and you will also see the background color change.
- To turn off vanish mode, swipe up in the chat again, and you will be back to regular DMs.
Note: When you turn on vanish mode for a chat, the recipient will be able to see that you have done so, right in the chat. Also, do note that when you apply vanish mode for a chat, it does not apply to all your other chats.
Now, if you have followed the steps that I have outlined above and are unable to get the feature to work, there’s a reason for that. During my testing, I found out that on the Android version of the Instagram app, I couldn’t turn on vanish mode till a conversation was started with an account.
However, on iOS, I could enable vanish mode even before starting a conversation with an account. This may be a bug. So, if you are on an Android device and can’t turn on the feature, you probably have to start a conversation first to get it to work.
Also, if your message request or invite to a person hasn’t been accepted, you won’t be able to turn on vanish mode. So, that’s another thing to note. With that being said, do let me know in the comments down below if the feature worked for you as it’s supposed to.
Yes, as soon as you turn on vanish mode for an Instagram chat, not only is that person notified, the chat background changes as well.
No, vanish mode does not delete those messages that you have sent prior to turning it on. However, it does delete “seen” messages that you send over when in vanish mode.
Since vanish mode allows you to exchange “disappearing” texts, images, videos and other content with an Instagram chat, they are not stored. Hence, not only does that allow you to maintain chat hygiene, it also prevents unwanted people from going through your DMs. However, Instagram’s support page does suggest using the mode with those that you trust, as people with malicious intent can use a different device or a camera to capture the images and videos you send as a disappearing message.
