Stories. I’m everywhere. The feature launched by Snapchat in 2013, adopted to a rather ridiculous degree by Meta and incorporated into everything from Facebook to Facebook Messenger to Instagram (by far the most successful) to WhatsApp, also pioneered by Google, is now on its way by Telegram.
On that note – breaking news! So far, Telegram has somehow managed to resist the call to add Stories to its app. Well, not anymore. Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced today that stories will be available on the platform starting early next month. If you’re wondering what they’ll look like, see below but keep in mind that the content may not be safe for work.
Durov says Telegram wouldn’t just completely copy the feature from its competitors (hear you, Meta?), but decided to do it “the Telegram way.” This means that you will choose who can see each of your stories “with granular precision” (everyone, only contacts with exceptions, a select few contacts, or a list of close friends). The feature will live in an expandable section at the top of your chat list, and it’s easy to hide stories posted by any contact.
Stories will support subtitles, as well as photos and videos taken simultaneously by the front and rear cameras. A story will expire in 6, 12, 24 or 48 hours, your choice. Or you can set it up to show some permanently on your profile, with individual privacy settings for each. And soon you’ll be able to repost messages from channels to Stories.
Durov says that after internal testing of the feature, even skeptics on the team started liking it, and now no team member can imagine Telegram without it. That means it’s probably here to stay once it lands.
Start a new Thread