Facebook has rolled out a new feature called Vanish Mode for Messenger and Instagram. With this messaging option, you can send messages including texts, photos, voice recordings, emojis, and stickers that will disappear once the recipient views them and the chat window is closed.
Vanish Mode was first announced in September and Facebook is slowly rolling it out to some users who can see it in their chat settings on Messenger. The option can be turned on or off and is available for one-on-one chats only for now.
Moreover, the mode is opt-in, which means that if it has been activated by another user in the chat, you have no choice but to enter it as well. Notifications of screenshots will also be sent to users in case a screenshot of the chat is taken while the mode is enabled.
Another similar feature of secret conversation mode already exists in Messenger, that lets you enter an end-to-end encrypted chat that’s saved only on your device.
The Vanish Mode can be compared to Snapchat’s original ephemeral messaging design. Facebook has, over time, adopted a lot of Snapchat’s popular features and integrated them in its own apps, including Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Facebook will also have a policy around Vanish Mode chat conduct, that will allow users to report people over any violations. Facebook has, however, not provided details of the specific criteria for it.
CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg announced last year that the company will now work on focusing more on private messages and groups than news feed and public posts. Ever since, Facebook has been adding more options to messaging and groups to enhance the usage of these tools on its platform.
Vanish Mode is already available for Messenger in the U.S. and some other countries. The feature will be soon available on Instagram as well, according to Facebook.
