Telegram Stories
Can you post Telegram stories without Premium, who sees a story and how long it lasts, how to view stories anonymously with Telegram Premium's stealth mode and how channels post stories.
Stories are photos and videos shown in circles above your chat list that disappear after a set time. Any Telegram user can post them — and so can channels and groups that have collected enough boosts.
How to post a story
- Open your chat list and tap your own story circle at the top — the story camera opens.
- Take a photo or a video, or pick them from your gallery. You can pick several at once — each becomes a separate story, and a long video is split into parts automatically.
- Add a caption or stickers if you like.
- Choose who will see the story and post it.
Who sees your story
There are four options: everyone, my contacts, close friends and selected contacts. With everyone and my contacts you can exclude particular people; with the other two you choose who sees it yourself. You can also stop viewers from taking screenshots.
How long a story lasts
A story normally disappears after 24 hours. With Telegram Premium you can choose another period — 6, 12 or 48 hours. You can also keep a story on your profile, where it stays after that.
How to view stories anonymously
Telegram Premium has a stealth mode: it erases your views of stories from the last 5 minutes and hides them for the next 25 minutes. Without Premium the author sees you in the list of viewers.
Never give your login code or access to your account to sites or bots that promise "anonymous story viewing".
What else Premium adds to stories
- Stealth mode.
- Permanent view history: the list of people who saw your story stays.
- A choice of how long a story lasts.
- Longer captions, with links and formatting.
Everything the subscription includes: what Telegram Premium gives.
Stories of channels and groups
Channels and groups can post stories once they have enough boosts — subscribers with Telegram Premium give them. Each new boost level adds one more story per day. More in Telegram boosts.
Since November 2025 you can also go live in stories. Viewers can highlight their message in the stream with Stars, and the host sees how many Stars came in.
Where to get Telegram Premium
In the Shiba Bank bot you can get Premium for yourself or a friend by @username for 3, 6 or 12 months, paying with crypto or with Stars from the wallet in the bot. Step by step: how to buy Telegram Premium.
Frequently asked questions
How do I view a Telegram story without the author knowing?
Turn on stealth mode — it comes with Telegram Premium. It erases your views from the last 5 minutes and hides them for the next 25 minutes.
Can I post stories without Premium?
Yes, any user can post stories. Premium adds stealth mode, a choice of how long a story lasts and a permanent view history.
How do I hide a story from particular people?
When posting, choose everyone or my contacts and exclude the people you want — or choose close friends or selected contacts and simply leave them out.
Why can't a channel post stories?
A channel needs boosts — subscribers with Telegram Premium give them. Once there are enough, posting stories appears in the channel.
How long does a Telegram story stay up?
24 hours by default; with Premium you can choose 6, 12 or 48 hours. A story kept on your profile stays there until you remove it.
