Facebook Messenger and Instagram get new Vanish mode for short-lived chats

Instagram and Facebook Messenger get their own version of short-lived messages with the introduction of Vanish mode. Disappearing messages were once a Snapchat signature, although versions of it now exist on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. Instagram has also made changes to its homepage. The Roles tab that was recently launched in India is now expanding worldwide. A Shop button is also added to the navigation bar, which displays the likes and comments notification button in the upper-right corner of the home page.

Facebook had already announced the Vanish Mode in September. It’s now coming to Messenger and Instagram, and it allows users to send messages on DMs without them remaining in the chat history. You can swipe up on the existing chat thread to enable this feature. A simple second swipe up can take you back to normal chat mode. Facebook written down Only people you are connected with can use Disappear mode in a chat. It also doesn’t seem to apply to group chats and only works in private one-on-one chats. Instagram already has a feature that allows users to send photos and videos that will disappear after viewing. The addition of Vanish mode for texts makes the messaging functionality of Snapchat even more similar.

The new ephemeral messaging feature on Instagram and Messenger differs from WhatsApp’s recently introduced Disappearing Messages feature. While these messages can be screen-shot and readable for seven days, Vanish mode chats disappear after they are viewed by the recipient. The sender will receive a notification if someone takes a screenshot of the chat before it disappears.

Vanish mode is now available in Messenger in the US and some other countries. It will soon be published on Instagram and in other countries.

As mentioned above, Instagram is also undergoing a major overhaul and its boss Adam Mosseri wrote one blog entry to explain the changes. The platform hopes the Roles tab will allow people to “share their creativity with the world and have a chance to break out and find an audience”. The Shops tab has personalized recommendations, a selection of editors compiled by Instagram’s @shop channel, shoppable videos, and new product collections for closer integration with brands. The tech giant has said the Shop tab would make it easier for users to get inspiration from developers, shop on Instagram, and support small businesses.

Mosseri said that Instagram’s home screen hasn’t been extensively updated in a while, but the way people create and enjoy culture has changed. “The biggest risk for Instagram is not that we change too quickly, but that we don’t change and become irrelevant,” Mosseri said in the post.

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