Premium owners will have access to a wider range of story self-destruction options

The Telegram Translations platform added a mention of extended self-destruction options available only to Premium owners. Users with a subscription will be able to set timers for story self-destruction to values that are not available to free users.

#stories

How will Telegram Stories work and what will they feature

The @tginfo editorial team has analyzed new strings on the Telegram translations platform and speculates on how stories will work:

• It seems like on the initial launch only Premium users will be able to publish Stories, and wider availability coming later.
• Stories will have a dual-camera recording feature, allowing simultaneous use of the main and front cameras.
• Users will be able to mention (@username) people in their stories. Mentioned users will receive notifications.
• Unfinished stories can be saved as drafts.
• Stories can have text captions.
• Users will have control over the lifespan of their stories. Certain self-destruction options will be available only to Premium users.
• Stories can be archived and restored from the archive.
• Stories can be pinned to the profile until manually removed.
• Stories can have custom emojis in their stories, and a button will be displayed to save the displayed emoji pack.
• It seems like stories can be edited after publication.
• There will be a limit on the number of stories that can be published within 24 hours.
• Story owners will be able to view a list of views (this list will disappear 24 hours after the story is hidden from the public).

• You can restrict downloading, screenshots, and screen recording tools.
• Story privacy options: close friends list, public, contacts only.
• If you make a story available only to close friends, the users added to this category will be notified.
• You can disable replies to stories.

• You can reply to stories in private.
• You can forward stories.
• Stories can be zoomed in by pinching the screen.
• You will be able to enable notifications for new stories.
• Telegram will suggest enabling notifications for new stories from the five users you interact with most frequently.

It is important to note that all information is based on strings from the translations platform, so the story mechanism may undergo some changes before its release.

#stories

More information about the upcoming update in Telegram

The code update in the official repository of Telegram Desktop on GitHub has provided more details regarding the upcoming update in addition to the list we previously published:

• Changelogs in stories

In future Telegram updates, the platform is likely to start sharing its changelogs in the form of stories.

• Different limits for Telegram Premium owners and regular users

Story caption: 200 characters for regular users and 2048 characters for Telegram Premium owners.

Story self-destruct timer: We are still not certain, but it seems that it will be possible to set a lifespan for stories up to 30 days (or hours, as there is no exact information yet) for regular users and up to 100 days for Premium users. There are no screenshots on the translation platform that include such values.

• Ability to report stories

Stories will be displayed on user profiles. In the stories themselves, it will be possible to mention (@username) other users, who will receive corresponding notifications. In order to prevent abuse of this feature, the messenger's team will add violation reporting functionality for stories.

• New format for in-app advertising

A new advertising format will be introduced in channels (not in stories): image + text + link. The link can also lead to an external resource, for which Telegram will add click tracking for advertising links.

It is important to note that all information is based on assumptions from the API schema, so the story mechanism may undergo some changes before the release.

#stories #aboutAds

Removing Stories From the Chat List

While it is currently not possible to completely hide the stories section, you can hide stories of specific users.

Option 1
In the stories section, tap and hold someone’s profile picture, then choose “Hide Stories”. This moves their stories to the Archive so you no longer see them.

To unhide the stories, just go to the archived chats, tap and hold the user’s profile picture again, and choose “Unhide Stories”.

Option 2
Open the user’s profile, and remove them as a contact.

Note that their stories might reappear if you have contact synchronization turned on and they are in your phone’s contacts. To make sure they won’t reappear, either remove the user from your phone’s contacts, or completely disable contact synchronization in Settings > Privacy.

#FAQ #stories

Telegram Stories and Foursquare

In the server configuration of Telegram, a new parameter named stories_venue_search_username appeared, which mentions the username of the official bot @foursquare. This may be a hint for geolocalization widgets support in stories.

Foursquare is a service that provides information about places and attractions. In the messenger apps, this service's bot is used in the Interface Attachment Menu > Location.

The Telegram Info team suggests that this parameter could be related to the future ability to add geotags to stories.

Whether it will be possible to create your own bots to work with stories in Telegram is unknown.

#stories

Telegram Stories for Non-Premium Users

Telegram’s server configuration has been updated and now features different story posting limits for regular and Premium users.

This might mean that in the next update Telegram will allow everyone to post stories, no Telegram Premium subscription required.

It is important to note that the values on the screenshot are from Telegram’s test server and they may differ on release.

Telegram Info assumes this is not the only restriction stories will have for regular users.

UPD: For the main server (following the test one), preliminary values for limits on the number of published stories appeared.

#stories #limits

Stories isn't Available to Everyone yet

Some of our subscribers who aren’t subscribed to Telegram Premium have noticed that they are still not able to post stories after updating the app to the latest version, 10.0.

It is expected that the future will gradually be available to all users on the latest versions of the apps.

#stories

Stories from Telegram

An increasing number of users are starting to see stories posted on behalf of Telegram. These stories visually showcase some of the story features from the messenger’s latest update.

Previously, we reported that the Telegram team intends to share information about app updates in a new format (in addition to the long-standing text updates in the messenger’s official account).

It isn’t possible to hide these stories from the main screen using the same method as hiding stories from contacts: the standard hiding method is not available in this case.

#Stories

Does The Ability to Post Stories Without Having Premium Subscription Depend on Your Region?

In the version 10.0.0 of Telegram's mobile applications, posting Stories became available even to accounts without a Telegram Premium subscription. However, many users have discovered that this feature hasn't appeared for them.

The editorial team at @tginfoen believes that the ability to post Stories for users without a premium subscription depends on the country's phone code linked to the Telegram account.

For instance, in Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, India and Iran, publishing Stories without Telegram Premium isn't possible, whereas users from Belarus and Kazakhstan are permitted to do so.

A detailed article about the editorial team's observations and story publication in other countries is available at the following link: tginfo.me/stories-by-countries-en

Update on August 28, 2023: Telegram Stories feature is now available to users with Uzbekistan phone number.

#Stories

Stories is Now Available in Uzbekistan

In a recent article, we addressed the absence of Stories in several countries, Uzbekistan included. Users have reported that it's now possible to post stories without a Premium subscription by using an Uzbek phone number. We're also looking into expansion of this feature to other countries, but availability details are still pending.

#Uzbekistan #Stories

Indonesian Users Can Now Post Stories Without Premium

Our readers report users with Indonesian phone numbers now can post stories without Telegram Premium.

We keep looking into expansion of this feature into other countries, final availability details are still pending.

We maintain a list of countries in our article.

Subscribe to @tginfo in Indonesian.

#Indonesia #stories

Telegram Is Preparing to Bring Stories to Channels

According to crawled data from @tgcrawl, changes were made in Telegram for Android that indicate that stories are coming for channels.

From the changes we can guess that there will be a boosting system similar to Discord’s. For example, the number of the stories that can be posted might depend on the number of boosts received by the channel form its subscribers.

Apparently, only Telegram Premium users will be able to boost channels.

#stories

Updates to Web Bots, Stories for Channels and Channel Boosts

Telegram's Beta version for Android update hints at several upcoming features, as analyzed by the @tginfo team.

Channel stories and boosts
It seems that Telegram is working on a "boost" system for channels, reminiscent of Discord's. Boosts will allow channel subscribers to vote for their favorite channels. These boosts might unlock special features for administrators, such as the ability to post stories to the channel. The exact features and rewards based on this system are still unknown. There could be different levels with varying limits and functionalities, and the number of stories available for posting might depend on the number of boosts received.

It seems like only Telegram Premium subscribers will be able to boost, and as of now, it looks like Premium users will have only one boost in their subscription available at no extra cost. Telegram aims to introduce this feature to channel administrators in hopes that they will encourage their subscribers to give their boost to their channel. To facilitate quick access to the boost sending menu, a deep link will be provided. Users will be able to change which channel receives their boost only once a day.

Story enhancements
Users will be able to add background audio to stories.
An option to pin a story to a post will be introduced.

Improved login confirmation system
Instead of receiving login notifications via personal messages from the Telegram account, they will now appear above the chat list.

Statistics
Channel statistics will now include data about subscribers with a Telegram Premium subscription.

View photos or videos only once
A new self-destruct option will be added, which prevents media files from being viewed more than once.

Web bot platform update
App strings indicate that in the next update, Telegram will allow users to add shortcuts to launch Web bots from the Android app's side menu.

This feature might be available exclusively to select partner bots. It's highly probable that this shortcut feature was specifically designed for @Wallet, but it might be utilized for other partner bots in the future.

The Web bot platform itself has been renamed to Mini Apps, and using them will require users to accept separate terms of service.

Previously, an ability for Web-bots to store their data on Telegram servers was spotted in the app, with the data being synchronized across the user's devices. @tginfo speculates that this feature could've been developed for the recently announced non-custodial TON wallet. Testing suggests that the data storage feature in Telegram might also be exclusive to select partner bots.

It's important to note that all this information is based on speculations from the Beta version of the app, so the features might undergo some changes by the time of release.

#stories #boosts

How The Boost System Works in Telegram Channels

The @tginfo editors have studied new images and strings on the Telegram translation platform and assume that the boost system on channels will work as follows:

• Only subscribers with Telegram Premium will be able to boost Telegram channels.
• If a Premium user received a paid subscription as a gift, he will not be able to support his favorite channels with a boost.
• Users with Premium will be able to choose which of the channels they subscribe to to give their boost. This channel can be changed no more than once a day.
• Judging by the screenshots, the boost has an expiration date, but it is not yet known how it will be determined (we assume that the boost expires along with the Premium subscription or it will have more complex logic).
• It is likely that information about users and the expiration date of their boost will be displayed in a special tab inside the channel statistics section.
• There, administrators will be able to view how many users with registered Telegram Premium are subscribed to the channel and what their share is of the number of all subscribers.
• It will be possible to share a special link in the format t.me/tginfoen?boost, which will allow authors to “campaign” for support of their channel, and users to quickly transfer their boost to the channel.
• Judging by the available screenshots, to publish stories on behalf of a channel, the channel needs to reach level 1. For this to happen, the channel needs to receive at least 5 boosts UPD: 1/250, or 0.4% of channel subscribers should boost the channel (the value may change by the release).
• Information about the number of active channel boosts can be available to all users.
• Whether other levels with their own advantages will be introduced, or whether Telegram at an early stage will limit itself to only the first, is still unknown.

#stories #boosts

Number of Boosts for Obtaining A New Level on Channels Has Been Reduced

Now, to get the next level, the channel needs a number of boosts equal to 0.1% (1/1000 part) of the total number of its subscribers.

Let us remind you that previously this required 0.4% (1/250) of the total amount of subscribers.

#boosts #stories

Channel Stories, Levels, and Boosts FAQ

What are boosts in Telegram? How do they work? What's different about channel stories? How can you use boost links?

You can find answers to these questions and many more in our article, written for both channel owners and readers:
https://tginfo.me/boosts-and-channel-stories-en/

#FAQ #stories #boosts

Telegram Increased Cooldown Time to Reactivate Stealth Mode in Stories

According to the changes in Telegram's configuration files, tracked by @tgcrawl, the minimal time interval between reactivations of Stealth mode for stories was increased from one hour to three hours.

The countdown starts from the moment the user taps the button to activate the mode. Because of this, after the Stealth mode expires, you will have to wait for at least 2 hours and 35 minutes before you will be able to activate it again.

The Stealth mode was introduced by Telegram in August and is available only to Telegram Premium subscribers. When activated, it hides you from the views list in stories you viewed for the first time in last 5 minutes, and continues to hide you from the viewers list during next 25 minutes.

It's important to remember that if you leave a reaction or a reply under a story, the story author will see your name even if you have Stealth mode active.

#stories

Telegram Has Tightened The Limits on Publishing Stories

Users that are not subscribed to Telegram Premium may now only publish up to 2 stories per day, up to 5 stories per week and up to 20 stories per month.

Previously, such users were able to publish up to 3 stories per day, 7 stories per week, and 30 stories per month.

It is also worth noting that users with phone numbers from Russia, Ukraine, India, and Iran cannot publish stories at all without first subscribing to Telegram Premium.

#premium #stories

Telegram Has Tightened the Limits on Publishing Stories

Users that are not subscribed to Telegram Premium may now only publish up to 1 story per day, 3 stories per week, and 10 stories per month. On top of this, the list of countries that are unable to post stories without Premium has expanded to include at least the UK, Germany, and Indonesia. We haven't verified if any other countries are affected and it is not known if this was intentional or an error.

Along with those countries, users with phone numbers from Russia, Ukraine, India, and Iran still cannot publish stories without first subscribing to Telegram Premium.

List of known countries with no free stories is here: https://tginfo.me/stories-by-countries-en.

If you've lost the ability to post stories without Premium today and your country is not listed, tell us in the comments so we can update the list.

When the feature was first launched, Telegram allowed up to 3 free stories per day. However, in early February, the limit was reduced to 2 stories per day.

#premium #stories