If you’re struggling to keep conversations with someone productive and professional, self-destructing messages are a key tool in your social media arsenal.

Self-destructing messages are designed to make that difficult conversation easy to death. The name comes from an app called Snapchat, which sends disappearing photos and videos that only last for a short period of time.

They do this by sending a message that contains only the sender’s phone number, if that number has been approved with Snapchat. Once the recipient receives the message, they can tap on it to see it again and delete it from their client.

But you don’t have to use Snapchat. There are other messaging apps that offer this function.

Your own self deleting text expire after a few seconds, minutes, or hours. The message may also delete itself if you don’t respond and someone else views your message.

There are a few situations in which your messages should self-destruct immediately.

Delete messages with sensitive information

Spam and unsolicited emails are very easy to spot. Most companies and individuals have a set policy for dealing with this type of message. If your personal information gets into the wrong hands, it can be very damaging.

But some sensitive information might get past your filters. If a disgruntled employee has access to your company records, for example, they may be able to misuse the information for personal gain.

If you want to talk about sensitive information, you should use self-destructing messages. These messages delete themselves after a few seconds or minutes. If an employee with malicious intent gets their hands on your message, all they’ll see is the screen above.

Delete messages with signed legal documents

You may use these messages to sign legal documents. If you want to send the signed document, you should use self-destructing messages.

These messages work like this: You see a message with a title, sender’s phone number, and content. If you tap on it, the message disappears and you can see the full text of the document. If you tap on the sender’s phone number, it shows a list of contact information.

If you want to send a legal document with a signature, you should use self-destructing messages. You can also use this method on email by sending an email with the original version of the document and having your attorney sign it.