What is Vanish Mode on Instagram? (Complete Guide)

Instagram is a place to connect with people across the world. You can make new friends or get into conversation with the old ones. Quite often, we want to share some personal information with others but are scared of getting the data leaked. This is where Instagram ‘Vanish Mode’ comes in. This mode helps prevent the data from being leaked. Let’s dive into the guide and explore how it works.

What is Vanish Mode on Instagram?

Vanish Mode on Instagram is a privacy feature designed for sending disappearing messages. Introduced in 2020, it gives us more control and flexibility while having conversations on Instagram. If you want to share something private, you can use this feature. This mode is different from regular chats. During the normal chats, everything is saved. But when the Vanish mode is activated, your chats don’t get saved. 

The best part about this feature is that it notifies you if someone takes a screenshot of the chat. Remember that this feature is only available for conversation between two people. You cannot use it in a group chat.

Although, it is one of the best updates of the message section, please note that you will have to turn it on to use it. It means that this feature is not automatically turned on. 

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How to Turn On Vanish Mode on Instagram?

As discussed above, you will need to turn on the vanish mode to use it feature. To do so follow the steps mentioned below: 

• Open the app and go to the message section. 
• Look for the person with whom you want to have a personal conversation. You can select an existing conversation or create a new thread. 
• Open the chat swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen and leave the screen. You will notice that the vanish mode is now active.
• Once it is done, you will notice that Instagram has become darker and emojis are falling from the top of your screen. This signifies that you are in the vanish mod. 
• Sometimes, we are already in dark mode. In such a situation, there will be only a small message dating that you turned on the vanish mode. This message will appear on top of your screen.

The other person will only get to know that you have activated vanish mod once they open it. Thus, if you have something that you want to share in personal conversation, go on and take full advantage of the mode.

How to Turn Off Vanish Mode on Instagram? 

If you have sent the message you want to in the Vanish mode and the conversation is completed, now it’s time to turn off it. To turn off the vanish mode, follow the instructions: 

• Open the chat which was having Vanish mode turn on. 
• Again swipe up from the bottom and hold the screen with your fingers. You will get a message ‘Release to turn Off Vanish Mode’.
• Once you get the message, release the screen and your vanish mode will disappear. 
• Now close the chat and reopen it. All your messages will disappear from the screen.

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How Does Vanish Mode on Instagram Work?

When I got to know about Vanish mode, I was pretty excited to use a feature. But more than that I was excited to know how it works. What is the process behind it? Eventually, I was able to find it out. Let me show you the different processes involved in working in Vanish mode: 

Enabling the Mode 

The first thing to work in Vanish mode properly is to enable the mode. When it is turned on, you will notice a dark screen. It is the time when the mode is turned on. Start sending the messages that you do not want to save in the data. 

Encryption of Messages

When the message is sent to the other person, the vanish mode encrypts the messages on the device of the sender. On the other hand, it decrypts the messages from the device of the recipient. No message is saved on anyone’s device.

Deletion of Messages

When you or the other person leave the chat or turn off the vanish mode, it instantly deletes the messages that were done during this conversation. When these messages are removed or deleted, a new request is received by the Instagram server that helps to remove all the messages from the chat.

Providing Security 

Vanish mode on Instagram helps to remove all the messages done during this mode. Although it does not prevent taking up the screenshots, it will generally remove the messages from the regular conversation. Even if it doesn’t prevent you from taking screenshots, you will get notified if the other person takes it. It provides transparency among the users.

Why Should You Use Instagram Vanish Mode?

I never thought that I would prefer using this mode rather than normal texting. Here are some reasons why you must use vanish mode on your device: 

• It Keeps Privacy: One of the biggest problems of social media is the bad eyes of hackers. Most of the teams think that they have less control over their stuff while they are in conversation online. This is why vanish mode has been introduced on Instagram to safeguard all private conversations. It gives the users the choice not to store any message permanently. You should use it while you are sharing sensitive as well as private information with other people. 
• To Enjoy Spontaneously: If you want to talk about something funny but don’t want to save the conversation, vanish mode is a must feature to use. It promotes casual conversations spontaneously without storing the messages. You can use it to have more informal and relaxed conversations. 
• To Make the DM Clean: Another important reason for using Vanish mode is to keep the history clean. It is usually done to manage large and unwieldy chat history. 
• Sharing Some Important Moments: Some moments in your life are not for remembering all your life. When we talk about such incidents online, we end up reading them and remembering that time again. Vanish mod is a successful feature where you can share such movements that do not hold any place in your life. You can share photos or videos that you don’t want to keep for long. 

Things to Consider While Using the Vanish Mode

There are many things that you must consider while using the vanish mode. Below I have mentioned a few of them:

• Disappearing Messages Can Still be Traced: When you use Vanish mode, the messages disappear from the app but there are still a few chances that the other person may have recorded the chat. Please note that recording the chat is different from taking screenshots of it. If the other person captures a screenshot of it, Instagram will notify you about it. On the other hand, someone can’t record the screen. 
• Does not Guarantee Complete Secrecy: As I just mentioned, the other person may take screenshots or record the chat. It means that it is not always private or safe to use. Therefore, you must use it with the people you trust the most. Notifications are received by both of the persons involved in the chat.

Never forget that whenever you turn on the vanish mode, the other person will also get to know about it when they open the chat. In fact, whatever you do will be notified to the other person. Suppose if you took the screenshot, another person will get to know about it. Even when you turn off the mode, the other person will get to know about it.

Also, read What Does ‘Seen’ Mean on Instagram? (All You Need to Know)

Conclusion 

Vanish mode on Instagram is one of the latest additions for chatting with others. This feature was introduced in 2020 and is designed to send disappearing messages. If you want to talk about something personal with your friends, you can always take advantage of this feature. When you turn on the mode, you can chat about anything without worrying about data being saved on your device. Once you complete the conversation and turn off the mode, all the chat done during it will be removed from your account. However, please note that the other person can even take a screenshot of your chat. You will get notified about it.

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