Here's Why You Might Want To Use Vanish Mode On The Instagram App

If you've ever scrolled to the bottom of a conversation in Instagram messages, you've probably seen a circle appear prompting you to "swipe up to turn on vanish mode." The feature is Instagram's version of Snapchat-style ephemeral messaging, meaning messages sent with it disappear after being seen. According to Instagram, messages vanish as soon as someone leaves the chat or turns off vanish mode. So why would you want to enable vanish mode rather than simply using the default messaging mode on Instagram?

Vanish mode is an Instagram feature that adds an additional layer of privacy to your messaging, and it's built for those times when you might not want something you send to be preserved indefinitely like a normal message. To turn it on or off, you swipe up from the bottom of a conversation. The feature competes with platforms like Snapchat and Signal, which place ephemeral messaging at the core of their products, and while it's not as feature-rich as those apps, it can be useful in a pinch.

There are a few good reasons to use vanish mode on Instagram. The first is privacy. Maybe you're sharing sensitive information in your chat, or you're having a difficult conversation you'd rather not be dredged up later. Whatever the case, vanish mode will ensure that your conversation is not preserved in amber. Of course, there's still the possibility the other person in the chat screenshots or otherwise saves your message before it disappears, although in most cases Instagram will notify you if someone screenshots a vanish mode message.

Additionally, you might not want Meta to store your messages. Although Instagram messages are end-to-end encrypted, which theoretically prevents the company from seeing them, using vanish mode will ensure that your message data is completely erased after a short period of time.

While there are certainly other messaging platforms that have more robust ephemeral messaging capabilities, vanish mode is also more convenient than switching to another app like Snapchat if the person you're messaging is already on Instagram's platform. It's always good to see more privacy settings on Instagram, no matter how often you use them.