Last month Facebook teased a new feature for its messaging apps called Vanish Mode that'd make your messages disappear after they've been read. Now that feature is officially rolling out.
Vanish Mode is coming to both Facebook Messenger and Instagram. When enabled, messages sent in Vanish Mode will disappear after you've read them and then close the chat.
To enable Vanish Mode, just swipe up in your chat thread and it'll turn on. Swipe up again and you'll turn Vanish Mode off.
Vanish Mode can only be turned on in chats with people you're connected with, and once activated, Vanish Mode is turned on for everyone in chat. The feature is opt-in, meaning you can choose whether you want to enter Vanish Mode with someone. And if someone takes a screenshot of their Vanish Mode chat with you, you'll be notified.
Facebook says that Vanish Mode is now rolling out slowly. It's starting to hit the Messenger app in the US and select other countries and will be available more broadly soon. Instagram users will get Vanish Mode "soon" and will be part of the integrated Messenger/Instagram chat experience.
Vanish Mode could be useful for sending chats and images of things that you don't necessarily want sticking around in your chat history forever, like a silly photo. Disappearing chat messages are a popular feature of Snapchat, and now you'll have access to them in Facebook's popular Messenger and Instagram apps, too.
