Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has revealed through his Telegram channel that the popular instant messaging service will be launching its own version of Stories next month. In a series of messages, Durov shared that users have been requesting the feature for years, despite Telegram’s initial hesitation due to the ubiquity of Stories across various platforms. However, the company ultimately decided to listen to its users and develop its own customizable version of Stories.
Telegram’s Stories feature closely resembles that of Messenger, with expandable bubbles appearing at the top of the conversation list. Users will have the ability to define the audience for their posts, choosing between making them viewable to the public, their contacts (with exceptions), selected contacts, or a list of Close Friends. They can add captions, links, and even tag other users. Additionally, users can share photos and videos captured by both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, similar to the format found on BeReal.
One notable aspect of Telegram’s Stories is the level of control given to users. They can move posts from specific contacts to the “Hidden” list in their contacts section if they prefer not to see them. Moreover, users have the freedom to set an expiration time for their Stories, allowing them to disappear in 24 hours like other platforms or choose from alternative options such as 6, 12, or 48 hours. Alternatively, users can opt to permanently display their Stories on their profile page while still maintaining control over the privacy settings for each post.
Durov stated that Telegram has been conducting internal testing of the Stories feature, and it is currently in the final stages of the testing phase. The company plans to make Stories available to its users in early July, offering a new and customizable way for users to share their moments and engage with their contacts on the messaging platform.
