Once Vanish Mode is activated, all text messages, images, GIFs, videos, or other files sent will be automatically deleted after the user closes the chat. To activate Vanish Mode, just swipe up on the screen in the chat window, and repeating this gesture will disable the function. In addition, while the mode is activated, the user will receive notifications if his interlocutor takes a screenshot during the conversation. Similar notifications have appeared in the popular Snapchat messenger for a long time.

It is worth noting that a kind of disappearing messages appeared in Messenger earlier. However, this feature required a separate configuration. In addition, the user needed to set a delete timer for each individual message. As for Instagram users, this experiment is the first for the popular social network.

According to reports, the disappearing messages are now available to Messenger users in the US. Later, this feature will appear on Instagram, and then gradually roll out to other regions. Obviously, it will take several weeks for the Vanish Mode feature to roll out across Instagram and Messenger.