Disappearing messages, also known as vanishing messages, are an optional feature in many messaging apps that causes the messages you send to automatically be deleted after a set period of time. Turning on disappearing messages can help give you more control over your privacy by ensuring your chat history doesn’t stick around forever. Here’s what you need to know about how to turn on disappearing messages for all your chats.
What are disappearing messages?
Disappearing or vanishing messages are messages that are automatically deleted after a preset time. Once enabled, any new messages you send in that chat will disappear after the set duration. The recipient can open and view the message as normal within that time frame, but after the expiration, the message will be deleted.
The amount of time before messages disappear varies by app, but common options are anywhere from a few seconds up to 7 days. On WhatsApp for instance, you can choose between 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days before messages sent in a chat disappear.
The main benefit of disappearing messages is increased privacy and control over your chat history. Once enabled, your messages essentially have a limited lifespan, preventing them from sticking around indefinitely. This can give you peace of mind and avoid potential embarrassment if someone happens to access your messages from long ago.
How do disappearing messages work?
Apps enable disappearing messages through encryption and timed deletion. When you send a disappearing message, the app encrypts and stores it per usual. But a timer is attached based on the expiration duration you selected.
Once the time is up, the app’s server permanently deletes the encryption keys needed to decrypt the message. Without the keys, the message can no longer be unlocked and displayed, effectively causing it to “disappear.”
The message recipient’s app deletes the message from their chat history at the same time. So neither party will have access to the expired message.
One important caveat is that screenshots are still possible within the viewable timeframe. If either person takes a screenshot, the message contents could still persist via that image. Apps generally notify users when someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing message.
Turning on disappearing messages in WhatsApp
WhatsApp has supported disappearing messages since 2020. It’s easy to enable the feature for specific chats or all chats.
For individual chats
- Open the WhatsApp chat
- Tap the contact’s name at the top to open their contact info
- Tap Disappearing messages
- Select the duration you want messages to disappear after, or “Off”
This will apply disappearing messages only for this specific chat. Repeat the steps for any other chats you want to enable it for.
For all chats
- Open WhatsApp Settings
- Go to Account > Privacy
- Tap Default message timer
- Choose the duration to apply disappearing messages globally
With just four taps, you can enable transient messaging across all your WhatsApp chats. New contacts you message will also have disappearing messages turned on by default.
Turning on disappearing messages in Signal
Signal also offers broad support for disappearing messages. Here is how to get set up:
For individual chats
- Open a Signal chat
- Tap the contact’s name at the top
- Enable Disappearing messages
- Select a duration under Disappear after
Repeat these steps for other specific Signal chats you want to use disappearing messages in.
For all new chats
- Go to Signal Settings > Privacy
- Tap Default message timer
- Choose a duration under Disappear after
This will turn on disappearing messages automatically for every new chat. Existing chats won’t be affected.
Turning on disappearing messages in Telegram
Telegram disappearing messages work a bit differently than other apps. There is no global setting – you have to enable it for every chat manually.
Here is how to turn on disappearing messages in Telegram:
- Open the Telegram chat
- Tap the contact’s name at the top
- Tap Disappearing messages
- Choose a duration
And that’s it! You will have to repeat the process for each Telegram chat you want to use disappearing messages in. There is no bulk setting.
Turning on disappearing messages in Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger refers to the feature as vanishing mode. It is only available in secret conversations – here is how to set it up:
- Open a Messenger chat
- Tap the contact’s name at the top
- Tap Secret conversation > Continue
- Enable Vanishing mode
Disappearing messages are now turned on for this secret conversation. Repeat for any other chats you want to use vanishing mode.
One limitation is you have to manually delete messages from the chat to remove them before they expire. The messages won’t disappear automatically.
Turning on disappearing messages in Instagram
Instagram Direct messaging supports vanishing messages as of 2022. Here are the steps to enable disappearing messages in Instagram Direct:
- Open an Instagram Direct chat
- Tap the contact’s name at the top
- Toggle on Disappearing messages
That’s all it takes to make messages disappear in that chat after 24 hours. You can repeat the process for any other Instagram Direct conversations as needed.
How long should disappearing message duration be set to?
Choosing the right expiration duration for disappearing messages depends on your specific messaging preferences and privacy needs.
Shorter durations like 24 hours provide the maximum privacy but can feel restrictive for regular conversations. Longer durations like 7 days or 1 month may feel more natural but keep your messages lingering for longer.
Here are some recommended approaches:
- Casual chats – longer duration like 7 days
- Sensitive topics – shorter duration like 24 hours
- Group conversations – shorter duration like 24-48 hours
- Temporary contexts – shortest duration possible
You may want to experiment with different expiration times to find the right balance for each conversation and contact.
Pros and cons of using disappearing messages
Disappearing messages offer useful benefits but also come with tradeoffs to consider.
Pros
- Increased privacy – messages delete automatically
- Avoids long-term records of conversations
- Peace of mind – embarrassing messages don’t linger
- Cleaner, less cluttered chat history
- Convenient for temporary contexts
Cons
- Can feel restrictive for normal conversations
- Harder to look back on old messages or media
- Screenshots still possible before messages disappear
- Extra steps to enable on some apps
- Messages may still get briefly stored on servers before deletion
Overall disappearing messages are best suited for conversations you want to intentionally limit records of, where the pros outweigh the cons for your use case.
Other questions about disappearing messages
Can you recover disappeared messages?
Once a disappearing message expires, there is no way for either the sender or recipient to recover it. The message is permanently deleted from the app’s servers. This ensures privacy is maintained.
What happens if a phone is off when a message expires?
The apps handle message expiration intelligently if a device is offline. If the recipient’s phone is off at the time a disappearing message hits its expiration, the app will delete the message as soon as the device comes back online.
Do both parties need disappearing messages enabled?
No, only one person needs to have disappearing messages turned on in an individual chat for messages to start disappearing. The setting essentially applies to that conversation regardless of whether the other party has it enabled.
Of course, both parties could have different expiration timers selected. In that case, the shorter timer wins out.
Can you turn off disappearing messages?
Yes, disappearing messages can be disabled at any time, returning the conversation to normal persistent messaging. Just go back into the chat settings and toggle the feature off.
Some apps may delete existing messages when you turn it off if they have already expired based on the set duration. But turning it off will prevent future messages from disappearing.
Conclusion
Disappearing messages offer a simple way to increase privacy and manage how long your conversations stick around. Just be aware of the limitations around screenshots and access to old messages depending on the expiration time chosen.
Enable the feature selectively for contexts where you see benefit, balancing convenience with privacy. With support across most major messaging apps, you have flexibility to easily turn disappearing messages on or off as needed.
So if you feel weird about years-old messages hanging around or want to limit digital records for certain contacts, give disappearing messages a try.
| Messaging app | How to enable disappearing messages |
|---|---|
| Chat settings > Disappearing messages | |
| Signal | Chat settings > Disappearing messages |
| Telegram | Chat settings > Disappearing messages |
| Facebook Messenger | Switch to secret conversation > Turn on vanishing mode |
| Chat settings > Disappearing messages |
This summarizes the key steps to get disappearing messages working across the top messaging platforms. Enable the feature on a chat-by-chat basis or set a default duration.
With disappearing messages turned on, you can now enjoy more private conversations that stay off the record. Just keep in mind messages may still briefly live on servers before being deleted, and recipients can screenshot before expiration.
Adjust the expiration duration to suit each conversation’s sensitivity. Shorter times maximize privacy while longer durations allow more convenience.
Disappearing messages won’t be right for every chat. But when used properly, they can give you more control over your messaging footprint and online privacy.