Facebook brings Watch Together, chat themes on Instagram

Facebook on Wednesday launched messaging features Watch Together and chat themes on Instagram.

Watch Together is available and when you update to the new messaging experience on Instagram, you can tune into IGTV, Reels, TV shows, movies and trending videos in real-time over video chat.

Facebook said it is bringing two new shows, “Post Malone’s Celebrity World Pong League” and “Here for It With Avani Gregg,” exclusively to Messenger and Instagram through Watch Together.

“The second feature we’re rolling out is chat themes such as tie-dye and love so you can personalize your conversations,” Facebook said in a statement.

The third feature, Vanish Mode, is coming soon and is an opt-in feature that makes seen messages disappear after you leave a chat thread.

“Now you can send memes, GIFs or reactions to share what you really think but can’t always say, without it staying in your chat history. To turn it on, just swipe up in an existing chat thread – and you’re in vanish mode. Swipe up again and you’re back to your regular chat”. 

Vanish mode is also optional and people can choose whether they enter vanish mode with someone.

“If someone takes a screenshot of your chat while you’re using vanish mode, you’ll be notified. And as always, you can block someone or report a conversation if you feel unsafe”, Facebook said. 

Vanish mode is now available on Messenger in the US and a handful of other countries, and it’s coming soon to countries in the EU.

“Vanish mode on Instagram will be coming to the US and other countries soon, when you update to the new Messenger experience,” Facebook said.