Telegram, arguably the world’s most secure messaging platform, is adding a Stories feature that’s quite similar to every other social media platform these days. However, the brand has added some special functionality to distinguish their iteration of the feature from its competitors. We’ll break it down for you.

Firstly, what are Stories? Initially popularized by Instagram in 2016, it’s a feature that allows you to share photos and videos on your page for 24 hours. It can be viewed by followers (private accounts) or anyone (public accounts), with another option to share reels with a selected group of Close Friends. Within that timeframe, users who upload can check who’s viewed their posts as well as custom analytics if they’re running business accounts. After this timeframe, the content is wiped off the face of the planet (except for the poster’s archive).

Well, early next month, Telegram is set to release its version of the Stories feature. They’ve made some unique changes in implementation though. Firstly, users can set the duration in six-hour increments from 6 to 48 hours. That means stories that’ll vanish after 6, 12, 18, and so on hours all the way up to two days. Users can also opt to pin stories permanently onto their profiles, but we’ve seen this feature before in the form of Instagram Highlights.

Based on what we’ve understood, users can also pick “Close Friends” to share stories with. However, it goes one step further than Instagram by allowing users to pick who can see their content on a per-story basis, instead of an equal-access Close Friends list. This could be confirmed as the release date draws closer, but we wouldn’t be surprised as Telegram has boasted controlling viewership with “granular precision” in its upcoming Stories feature.

Additionally, there will also be the ability to post photos and videos taken from the front and rear cameras simultaneously. That reminds us of the popular social media platform BeReal which has gained quite a significant following in the past year.

What do you think of this Telegram Stories feature?