Mark Zuckerberg has issued a new warning to Facebook Messenger users, urging them to think carefully before taking screenshots of their private conversations. His message has quickly drawn widespread attention, underscoring Meta’s escalating focus on privacy and user control across its platforms. Zuckerberg, who co-founded Facebook in his Harvard dorm room alongside his college roommates, now serves as chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling shareholder of Meta Platforms, the parent company that oversees Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. His unconventional rise, early controversies, and the dramatic origins of Facebook were famously portrayed in the acclaimed film The Social Network.
In his latest announcement, Zuckerberg used a light, almost playful tone to deliver a message with a serious edge: Messenger users will no longer be able to take screenshots of disappearing messages without the other person knowing. The platform will now automatically notify users whenever someone captures an image of a chat designed to vanish after viewing.
This update traces back to a feature Meta introduced in 2020 called Vanish Mode. Vanish Mode allowed users on both Messenger and Instagram to send temporary messages that disappeared once they were seen and the chat was closed. It was created to give people a space for spontaneous, low-pressure conversations without the long-term footprint typical of digital communication. At the time of the feature’s release, Meta explained that social apps needed an option that mirrored real-world conversations — fleeting exchanges meant to exist only in the moment.
Enabling Vanish Mode was effortless: a simple upward swipe within a chat activated it, while another swipe returned the conversation to its normal state. The feature rolled out first in the United States and later expanded to several countries across the European Union. Product leaders like Messenger’s Bridget Pujals and Instagram’s Manik Singh emphasized that Vanish Mode was rooted in safety and personal autonomy. Their goal was to give users more direct control over how their messages were kept, shared, or erased.
But while Vanish Mode once played a prominent role in Messenger’s privacy options, Meta has since shifted course. According to the latest update in the Facebook Help Center, Vanish Mode is no longer supported. It is being phased out and replaced with a newer system called disappearing messages. These messages operate in the same spirit — temporary, private, and user-controlled — but the rollout is gradual, meaning not everyone will see the feature immediately. For those who do, it can be accessed by opening a chat, tapping the person’s name, and scrolling to the Privacy and Support section, where the disappearing messages option appears.
Meta describes the new system as a more structured evolution of Vanish Mode. Unlike its predecessor, disappearing messages come with a built-in safeguard: if someone takes a screenshot or starts a screen recording, the other person will automatically receive an alert within the conversation. The update is designed to enhance trust and transparency, making sure that users always know when someone is preserving a message that was meant to be temporary.
To illustrate how the new feature works, Zuckerberg shared a playful exchange with his wife, Priscilla Chan. In the brief chat he posted publicly, he made a light-hearted joke about a supercomputer. Chan responded by taking a screenshot — prompting an instant notification to appear. Zuckerberg’s demonstration served as a direct reminder that the days of quietly capturing disappearing messages are over.
With these updates, Meta continues moving toward a future centered on privacy, safety, and user empowerment. By giving people greater control over how their conversations are stored and shared, the company aims to ensure that digital communication feels increasingly secure in an era when privacy concerns are more urgent than ever.
