Telegram Updated With Stories Option But Users Need To Have Premium Access To It

Social media users are accustomed to the idea of ephemeral media. We’re not only referring to messaging apps like WhatsApp here; numerous platforms have experimented with comparable ideas ever since Snapchat made stories popular. Twitter and YouTube also tried it, but they were unsuccessful. Telegram, meanwhile, joined the trend just last month when CEO Pavel Durov revealed plans to add stories as a feature.

Telegram Stories

As of the right moment, stories on Telegram function exactly as promised back in June. The feature is now available, according to a tweet from Telegram (via TechCrunch), but only for Premium members for the time being. Regarding immediate intentions for free-tier customers, we are unsure. Using the plus symbol located above your conversation list, you can add stories. You’ll also see stories from your contacts here. Under the My Stories category in the overflow menu, you can access your uploads.

You think I’d forget that? There’s a + button at the top of your chat list for posting Stories. Currently, only Premium users are able to post Stories.

— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) July 21, 2023

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Why did Telegram go for Stories

As a consequence of user feedback and requests for features that are directly or indirectly connected to ephemeral content, Telegram has added stories. In order to provide users more choice and make Telegram stand out, the majority of the features we associate with stories have been added. The tools to manage who sees your status updates, select a circle of close friends who get first access to updates, and pin stories to your profile à la Instagram Highlights will all be included.

We wonder why other platforms don’t yet offer comparable choices for stories given Telegram’s unique features. Consider the choice to have stories disappear after any period of time between six and 48 hours. You can record stories using both cameras on the platform’s Video Messages feature. Additionally, Telegram allows users to tag other people in stories and share links.

Surprisingly, there isn’t much hoopla or even a polite blog post to announce the wider deployment. However, Telegram’s tweet makes us think that if status updates become universal and lose their premium exclusivity, an announcement will come later.