![iOS 18 Tips, Tricks, How-Tos, News](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/15/56/63854300537190/0/ios-18-secrets-revealed.600x696.jpg)
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/65/50/63745371332530/0/disable-vanish-mode-facebook-messenger-instagram.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Disable Vanish Mode in Facebook Messenger & Instagram
Facebook recently implemented "Vanish Mode" into Messenger and Instagram, which lets you have an end-to-end encrypted conversation in a chat that will disappear as soon as you leave the thread. As cool as it sounds, it's easy to enable accidentally, and a friend could force you into using it. In some cases, that may not be ideal since everything you or the recipient said will disappear.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/80/42/63679794223295/0/set-up-instagram-recovery-codes-so-you-can-always-access-your-account-with-2fa-enabled.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Set Up Instagram Recovery Codes So You Can Always Access Your Account with 2FA Enabled
Two-factor authentication (also known as 2FA) adds a necessary additional layer of security to your username and password in many important apps. On Instagram, 2FA requires you to confirm it's you attempting to log in, with a special code sent to you via text message. Enter the code and you're in ... but what happens when you need to log in and don't have access to your phone?
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/42/53/63634418135716/0/instagram-101-clear-your-search-history-so-you-never-see-your-exs-suggested-user-face-again.1280x600.jpg)
Instagram 101: Clear Your Search History So You Never See Your Ex's Suggested User Face Again
I thought eventually that my ex's Instagram account would magically clear from my "Suggested" search history. It's been six months now, and I'm sorry, babe, but enough is enough. It's time to clear out your very cute face. (On Instagram, of course.)
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/92/86/63795126313036/0/use-your-iphones-hidden-microphone-effects-improve-your-audio-facetime-zoom-and-other-video-calling-apps.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Use Your iPhone's Hidden Microphone Effects to Improve Your Audio in FaceTime, Zoom, and Other Video Calling Apps
Being seen clearly is an essential part of any video call you're on, but being heard is equally important. Lousy audio from your side can ruin the experience for others on the call if they can't understand you or hear the sounds they need or want to hear. To improve your audio feed during FaceTime, Google Meet, Instagram, WhatsApp, Zoom, and other video calls, unlock your iPhone's hidden audio filters.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/38/39/63750968891760/0/you-can-now-use-instagram-without-any-ads-your-android-phone.1280x600.jpg)
How To: You Can Now Use Instagram Without Any Ads on Your Android Phone
Most of you probably hate ads on your smartphone, but they're a part of modern digital life. As long as apps like Instagram are free to use, then we'll need to pay by dealing with posts, videos, and pop-ups trying to sell us stuff. Well, not necessarily, so long as you're OK with a few compromises.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/56/47/63796506748756/0/trick-using-your-iphones-portrait-mode-other-photo-and-video-apps.1280x600.jpg)
How To: The Trick to Using Your iPhone's Portrait Mode in Other Photo and Video Apps
Your iPhone's Camera app isn't the only place you can use Portrait mode for selfies. An easy-to-miss feature built right into iOS lets app developers leverage Apple's powerful Portrait mode effect in their own apps, so you can add a shallow focus effect to photos and videos when using the front-facing camera in FaceTime and apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Zoom.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/28/13/63665869470744/0/add-your-favorite-songs-and-other-music-instagram-stories.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Add Your Favorite Songs and Other Music to Instagram Stories
Music goes well with almost every Instagram story, but adding a particular song or soundtrack isn't the most obvious task if you've never tried before or haven't done so in a long time.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/15/62/63663454840916/0/video-too-long-for-instagram-stories-heres-split-up.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Video Too Long for Instagram Stories? Here's How to Split It Up
One of the latest trends in Instgram is breaking up larger videos into more digestible clips to use in stories. Stories max out at 15 seconds, making it a pain to show anything meaningful in that short time frame. Fortunately, you can virtually extend the duration of your Stories on both your iPhone and Android phone.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/21/00/63723513162277/0/make-perfect-finsta-no-one-will-ever-find.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Make the Perfect Finsta That No One Will Ever Find
Everything you post on social media lives there forever — even if you delete it. Just ask anyone that's ever posted something stupid. Instagram does not provide built-in tools to save or download images and videos from other users, but there are workarounds. Third-party tools make saving other people's photos and videos easy, and there are always screenshots.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/28/27/63852172031731/0/create-two-sided-dynamic-profile-picture-instagram-show-your-photo-and-animated-avatar.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Create a Two-Sided Dynamic Profile Picture on Instagram to Show Your Photo and an Animated Avatar
Breathe new life into your Instagram profile picture with another layer of self-expression. It's the perfect way to show another side of your personality without sacrificing your current IG profile photo.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/19/81/63678998545498/0/prevent-friends-from-sharing-your-instagram-stories-as-direct-messages.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Prevent Friends from Sharing Your Instagram Stories as Direct Messages
Instagram introduced a new feature in September 2018 that lets you share other users' Stories via Instagram Direct, the app's private messaging tool for solo and group messages. Problem is, it works both ways, so whenever you add to your ephemeral Story, everybody that sees it can share it directly with anyone else.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/32/97/63782277548931/0/find-all-reels-you-liked-saved-instagram.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Find All the Reels You Liked & Saved on Instagram
So, you're trying to show a friend or two a hilarious Reel you liked or saved on Instagram, but where is it? Unlike TikTok, Instagram doesn't make it clear where you're supposed to find your liked and saved Reels. Luckily, we can help.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/67/91/63680056030144/0/prevent-people-who-have-your-contact-information-from-finding-your-instagram-account.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Prevent People Who Have Your Contact Information from Finding Your Instagram Account
Sharing your personal information can come up for any number of reasons: you may want to get in touch with a colleague after work or you've been involved in a car accident and need to stay in contact with the other driver. Unfortunately, giving out information can be the key for others to find your social media accounts, such as Instagram, whether you want it to happen or not.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/61/59/63682102064255/0/8-shortcuts-improve-your-instagram-experience-your-iphone.1280x600.jpg)
How To: 8 Shortcuts to Improve Your Instagram Experience on Your iPhone
Instagram has extensive tools built in for creating and editing posts and Stories, but there could always be more. Third-party apps can help you add photo and video effects for even more visually stimulating content, as well as create announcements, text-based images, and everything in between. However, now that Shortcuts exists on iOS, you may no longer need all those extra apps on your iPhone.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/46/74/63744669227256/0/download-photos-videos-from-instagram-posts-stories-using-shortcut-for-iphone.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Download Photos & Videos from Instagram Posts & Stories Using This Shortcut for iPhone
You don't need to take screenshots or make screen recordings to save photos and videos from other users on Instagram. While Instagram doesn't offer an official way to download others' posted content, dozens of shortcuts are available for iPhone that can do just that. But which one should you pick?
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/70/69/63784425522637/0/see-your-likes-instagram-every-photo-video-and-reel-youve-ever-hearted.1280x600.jpg)
How To: See Your Likes on Instagram — Every Photo, Video, and Reel You've Ever Hearted
Unlike TikTok, there isn't a convenient "Likes" tab directly on your Instagram profile page to see all the posts you've ever loved. That's too easy. Instead, you have to dig a bit deeper if you want to take a trip down IG memory lane.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/54/27/63694124487802/0/copy-share-link-your-instagram-story-you-can-post-anywhere.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Copy & Share a Link to Your Instagram Story That You Can Post Anywhere
On Instagram, it's all about the sharing, but not all sharing is equal. Take stories, for example. Up until recently, stories couldn't be easily shared outside the Instagram bubble. Now, Instagram lets you share a convenient link to a part of your story or your entire story on any other platform — text, email, social app — pretty much anywhere.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/27/79/63682026568370/0/view-share-highlight-download-your-archived-instagram-stories.1280x600.jpg)
How To: View, Share, Highlight & Download Your Archived Instagram Stories
In late-2017, Instagram rolled out a feature that automatically saves your ephemeral Stories to a private archive. Before that, Stories disappeared into the ether after 24 hours, but not everyone was comfortable losing these precious photos and videos. If you post to Instagram Stories quite often, you can now easily access your history from your account — and you might not even know it.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/43/78/63682193780302/0/use-custom-background-colors-translucent-overlays-instagram-stories.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Use Custom Background Colors & Translucent Overlays in Instagram Stories
On Instagram, you can write text over any picture or video in your Story, but it may be hard to get your message across with a distracting background. Although there is a "Type" option for Stories, which allows you to write text over colorful gradient backgrounds, the selection is limited to just over twenty options, and there are no options for solid colored backgrounds or translucent overlays.
![](https://img.gadgethacks.com/img/38/86/63777678283186/0/download-instagram-reels-your-iphone-for-offline-use-better-playback-control-and-more.1280x600.jpg)
How To: Download Instagram Reels on Your iPhone for Offline Use, Better Playback Control, and More
Downloading content from TikTok is relatively easy, even if the video is protected, but the same can't be said of Reels, Instagram's version of short-form videos. Instagram doesn't make it easy to download content unless it's your own, and that's especially true with Reels. However, there is a way to bypass Instagram's restrictions on your iPhone and save videos locally without ever leaving the app.