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What Is Vanish Mode on Messenger?

During the past decade, many social media users have turned to apps like Instagram and Snapchat to post “temporary” updates.

Whether it be Stories that last for only a day or reels or pictures that last for a few seconds, users love the privacy and rarity of vanishing messages.

Messenger has an active user community of around 1.3 billion, and approximately 20 billion messages are negotiated daily through Messenger. Generally, the messages sent through Messenger are kept in the users’ chats until deleted or removed by them.

That’s what Messenger’s vanish mode is used for. Vanish Mode is another temporary social media application.

Here we will discuss the working principle of the Vanish mode on Messenger and its uses.

What is Vanish Mode in Messenger?

Vanish Mode is an attribute in the Messenger app that lets you send short messages to anyone you have an active chat with; they will disappear as the recipient reads them. It’s an ideal way to send quick messages without interfering with your daily conversation.

Facebook Messenger has a voluntary Vanish Mode that causes messages in this Mode to disappear automatically from the users’ chats (both senders and receivers) once the message is seen by the receiver and the Vanish Mode chat is closed.

Vanish Mode is a bi-directional chat feature of Messenger, i.e., if the users (both sender and receiver) have this Mode turned off, then it will not work. The users need to enable it. Also, the Vanish Mode is an opt-in feature, i.e., if a user begins a chat in the vanish mode, the other party must accept to use the discussion in the Vanish Mode.

Some people may ask what the requirement of the vanish mode is. Apart from secret or foolish messages, a user may use Messenger Vanish Mode to send a message and wants to keep in contact with the person chatting and does not want to be forwarded to others. The exact reasons a user may use in-private browser mode may also use the Vanish Mode of Messenger.

How Does Vanish Mode Work?

Suppose you want to update your Messenger app to the latest version to have access to vanish Mode; in such a case, you’ll need to be previously connected with the person you are messaging to see the feature available.

If the person you send a message to does not have access to vanish Mode, you won’t be able to delete your messages automatically. Both users need to have the feature turned on to be accurate. Vanish Mode is also a volunteer option for Messenger chats. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want it since it isn’t the default option when texting people.

Difference Between the Messenger’s Secret and Vanish Modes

Messenger is already equipped with secret conversation Mode, then why Vanish Mode? There are some dissimilarities and similarities. Let’s discuss them thoroughly!

Secret Conversation mode is an end-to-end encrypted chat mode where chats are saved on the users’ devices; in contrast with the Vanish Mode, the message disappears even from the users’ devices once viewed by the recipient, and the chat is closed. Plus, in the Secret Conversation mode, the message can be removed from the receiver’s history after a specific time and is kept safe on the sender’s chat history.

Report Feature of the Vanish Mode

As the Vanish Mode offers disappearing messages, it may give rise to cheating, harassing, etc. To curtail that, only connected people can contact a user, i.e., a person who has chatted earlier with a user can ask the user to use the Vanish Mode of the chat. A piece of advice is that the Vanish Mode chat should only be used with a person you fully trust.

Also, the Vanish Mode is equipped with a report and block feature. So, if a user receives a chat that he thinks is inappropriate, he may report and block the user. Remember that the discussion in Vanish Mode for the last hour will also be attached to the report.

Message Retention in the Vanish Mode

A message in Facebook Vanish Mode is usually deleted once the receiver views the message and the chat is closed. The message may remain available after the conversation is closed by the sender if the recipient does not consider the message. The message will be eventually deleted afterward once viewed by the receiver. If a sender does not close the Vanish Mode chat for hours, then only messages of the last 6 hours will be available.

Screenshots of the Vanish Mode Chat

Due to end-to-end encryption, the other user will be notified if any user (sender and recipient) takes a screenshot of the chat. Keep in mind that if no notification is received, it does not mean that the other user cannot take a picture of the discussion from another device’s camera.

Vanish Mode Supported Versions of Messenger

Till now, Vanish Mode is not supported on all versions of Messenger but only the following:

  • Android
  • Mobile Browser
  • iPhone
  • iPad

Messages in Regular Chats

One can only chat in Vanish Mode with a user who already had a chat in regular Mode; some users may wonder what will happen to messages in common chats. No need to worry, the messages (before or after using the Vanish Mode) in the regular chats will be perfectly safe, and nothing will happen to those messages.

How to Use Facebook Vanish Mode

To use Vanish Mode, you’ll need to have the Messenger app (previously known as Facebook Messenger) installed on your iPhone or Android Phone.

  • Open Messenger and start a chat with someone.
  • Vanish Mode doesn’t work in group chats, so It’ll need to be a one-on-one conversation.
  • Swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You should see a message telling you to swipe for Vanish Mode. Keep dragging your finger until the circle icon is filled.
  • Your current chat will disappear and be replaced by an empty Vanish Mode screen.
  • If this is your first time activating the feature, you’ll also get a pop-up with some information about Vanish Mode.
  • You can send messages or pictures like a normal conversation on Vanish Mode.
  • These will last until the recipient sees your message and closes the chat.

Disable Vanish Mode After Closing the Chat

If a user ends, Vanish Mode on his device, but the other party did not close the chat on his device and sent a message in Vanish Mode. The chat on the user’s Messenger may also be launched in Vanish Mode. To kill this aspect, when a user quits the Vanish Mode, he may send a regular chat message to the other party to end the Vanish Mode on his side.

Unsend Messages in the Vanish Mode

We may make mistakes, and the same may go within a chat in Vanish Mode when a user sends a wrong message in Vanish Mode. In such a case, a user may un-send messages in the Vanish Mode. To do so:

  • On the left of the problematic message, tap on the three dots and select Remove.
  • Now tap on Remove for Everyone and then confirm to Remove the message.

Avoid Vanish Mode Prompts

There may be some users who may want to avoid the Vanish Mode prompts. If so, you may use an older version of the mobile apps (e.g., older APKs of the Messenger app) but may also lose other latest features. Moreover, a user may avoid Vanish Mode prompts using Messenger in a PC browser. The Messenger Lite app does not support Vanish Mode, and a user may use it to stop the Vanish Mode prompts. If a person is using a Messenger version that does not support Vanish Mode, the other user trying to use Vanish Mode with that person may see the following type of message:

“Need to install the latest version of Messenger app on iOS or Android to use Vanish mode.”

Conclusion

So, there you have it—now you know how to use Vanish Mode on Messenger. The feature is easy to use, and you can send text, pictures, or GIFs to people you are connected to on Messenger and have them automatically deleted when you leave the chat. Once your messages are secure, you might want to ensure that the same is true for your entire Facebook profile. 

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