Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has made a significant announcement today, revealing that the popular messaging app will introduce Stories in early July.
Responding to users’ long-standing requests, Durov emphasized that over half of all feature suggestions received by Telegram relate to Stories. While the company initially hesitated to incorporate Stories, citing their ubiquity, they ultimately prioritized user feedback.
With the forthcoming addition of Stories, Telegram users will have the autonomy to determine who can view their stories. The visibility settings can be adjusted to include everyone, contacts, select individuals, or a curated list of close friends.
The Stories feature will be conveniently located in an expandable section at the top of the chat list, ensuring easy access for users. Furthermore, individuals will be able to hide stories posted by specific contacts by relocating them to the ‘Hidden’ list within the Contacts section, keeping their main screen clutter-free. Users will also have the ability to enhance their stories with captions, links, and the option to tag other people.
Notably, Telegram will allow users to capture photos and videos simultaneously using both the front and rear cameras, akin to the popular BeReal style. Moreover, the expiration time of stories can be customized, with options ranging from six to 48 hours. Alternatively, stories can be permanently displayed on the user’s profile page, reminiscent of Instagram’s Story highlights.
Durov expressed his enthusiasm for the introduction of this new feature, highlighting how it will enrich Telegram profiles and facilitate more meaningful connections. In his announcement post, he stated, “The ability to save your stories to the profile page will make Telegram profiles more informative and colorful. You will not only be able to explore more content from your closest contacts, but finally discover more information about users you connect with in groups or channel comments.”
Furthermore, Durov noted that the inclusion of Stories will benefit channels, granting them increased exposure and the potential for greater numbers of subscribers. Once the feature to repost messages from channels to stories is launched, achieving viral status on Telegram will become notably easier.
Durov expressed satisfaction with the outcome of internal tests on Stories, stating that even skeptics within the Telegram team have come to appreciate the feature. It has become an indispensable component of the messaging service, according to Durov. Stories are currently undergoing their final testing phase and are scheduled for release in early July.
Durov believes that the advent of Stories will mark a new era for Telegram, transforming the platform into a more socially-oriented space than it is presently.