Stories have become pretty much a staple feature in most messaging and social networking platforms. Telegram introduced stories in 2023. According to Telegram founder Pavel Durov, this was in response to persistent requests by users to include the feature.
But not everyone wants stories and, unlike Signal, Telegram doesn’t currently have a functionality that lets you disable stories in the app. However, there are still ways to block stories on Telegram.
1. Delete Synced Contacts
Stories posted on Telegram can be set to be shared to either only those on your contact lists, close friends among your contacts, certain users (including groups and channels), or to everyone on Telegram as a kind of public-facing feed on your profile. Stories posted by your contacts are shown at the top of the home screen. For this reason, keeping your contacts from being accessed by Telegram will prevent you from seeing any stories that they post.
This process is slightly more complicated than it is on WhatsApp. With WhatsApp, blocking contact access will automatically stop the status update feature from working. You can read more in our guide onhow to block the status feature on WhatsApp.
However, Telegram keeps your contacts stored in its servers to allow you to view them on any device. This means blocking contact access in Settings won’t immediately block stories on Telegram as long as your contacts are saved in the cloud.
This workaround has certain cons. You will stop getting notifications from Telegram when people from your contact list join the platform. There will be no names in your contact list, so you will need to find people by their username to message them. But you may always enable contact access back if you want to.
2. Use Telegram X or Plus Messenger
Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram allows you to use alternative client applications to access the platform. The main Telegram messenger client doesn’t allow you to disable the Stories feature, but if you would like to stop seeing stories, you may opt for alternative clients instead.
Telegram X is a popular and official alternative to the main Telegram application. It uses a different interface and includes several customization features that can’t be found in the original app. It is updated less frequently than the main app and therefore currently lacks some new features, such as folders, Telegram Premium, video calls, and most importantly, stories.
Third-party clients such as Plus Messenger and iMe allow you to hide stories and are another option to consider. However, you should note that these third-party Telegram clients are a security risk as they have access to your data. Also, new features in the official app take a while to get to third-party clients.
3. Archive All Stories
It is easy to stop seeing stories by simply archiving them one at a time. Story archiving is Telegram’s version of muting and moves present and future stories from a specific person from the homepage to the Archived Chats section.
To hide a specific person’s stories from your home screen, long-press their story preview and selectHide Stories. you’re able to return them to the main screen by opening your archive, selecting their story preview, and pressingUnhide Stories. Note that stories posted by Telegram itself can not be hidden.
4. Vote for an Option to Disable Stories on Telegram Stories
If you are not comfortable using a third-party app or Telegram X and archiving stories one at a time looks cumbersome, then you will have to wait for an official solution from Telegram. A Disable Stories feature is one of the most upvoted requests on Telegram’sBugs and Suggestions website. You can add your vote to the Suggestions. Unfortunately, the official response to the suggestion doesn’t indicate that this option is coming to the official app anytime soon.
5. Disable Stories Notifications
While this won’t block any stories, you will stop being notified when your contacts post a new story. You can do it manually by tapping and holding on a specific user’s story preview and turning offNotify About Stories.
you’re able to also go toSettings>Notifications and Sounds>Storiesand turning offStory Notifications. You can also turn offAutomatic Exceptions.
Restrict Stories on Telegram
In a nutshell, if you’re looking to keep your Telegram feed free from stories you’d rather not see, these steps should do the trick. It’s all about making your Telegram experience your own, and now you have the tools to make that happen.
