TikTok launched the Stories feature in early 2021, allowing users to post short videos and photos that disappear after 24 hours [1]. Stories on TikTok provide a way to share ephemeral, authentic, and behind-the-scenes content with followers [2]. However, unlike similar disappearing stories on other platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok currently does not give users the ability to delete stories once they are posted. This has left many users wondering why they can’t remove stories from their profile before the 24 hour expiration period.
What are TikTok Stories?
TikTok Stories were launched in March 2020 as a new ephemeral sharing feature on the platform (https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/tiktok-stories). TikTok Stories allow users to post photos and short videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to stories on other platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. The feature was TikTok’s answer to competing with the popularity of stories on other apps.
With TikTok Stories, users can share quick moments, behind-the-scenes, and daily updates with their followers that won’t stick around permanently on their profile. The ephemeral nature of TikTok Stories encourages users to post more casual, authentic, and fun content compared to more polished posts. Stories sit at the top of followers’ feeds and can be viewed by tapping on a user’s profile photo.
Stories Designed to be Ephemeral
TikTok designed stories to be temporary shares that only last for 24 hours before disappearing. This ephemeral nature allows users to share more authentic, casual, and unfiltered moments without the pressure of creating permanent content (source). Stories enable more raw, in-the-moment sharing, as users don’t expect stories to last forever or be seen by everyone (source). The fleeting lifespan of stories creates a lower pressure environment for sharing uncensored snippets of users’ days and lives.
Why Users Can’t Delete Stories
A key aspect of TikTok Stories is their ephemeral nature. Unlike regular TikTok videos, Stories are designed to only be viewable for 24 hours. After that, they disappear from the app. Part of keeping Stories temporary is that users cannot delete them early before the 24-hour period is up.
TikTok wants Stories to feel spontaneous, casual, and in-the-moment. If users could delete Stories whenever they wanted, it might lead some to overly curate and manage their profiles. By making Stories non-deletable, TikTok ensures the content remains authentic and unfiltered.
There are also technical limitations behind the scenes. With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok’s servers have to process massive amounts of content every day. Allowing users to delete Stories would create additional strain. So for simplicity, TikTok restricts deleting and forces Stories to just expire after 24 hours.
User Concerns About Inability to Delete
Many users have expressed frustration over not being able to delete TikTok stories after posting them. There are several key concerns that users have voiced:
Embarrassing stories can’t be removed
If a user posts an embarrassing or compromising story by accident, they have no way to take it down and stop it from being seen. As one user said, “I posted a story that I really regret and wish I could delete but there’s no way to remove it.” Source 1
Mistakes and unwanted stories remain public
Users also complain that they can’t fix mistakes or delete stories they decide they don’t want posted anymore. As user comments show, “I posted a story without thinking and immediately wanted to delete it but I can’t,” and “Why can’t I remove stories I don’t want anymore?” Source 2
Goes against user expectation of control
Finally, many users feel frustrated because the inability to delete stories goes against the expectation of having control over their own content. Users expect social media platforms to allow them to manage their profiles and delete unwanted posts.
TikTok’s Response
TikTok has stated that the ephemeral nature of Stories is by design to create a “lower pressure” way to share. Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, the company recommends users don’t overthink it or try to be perfect.
TikTok acknowledges some users may be uncomfortable with the inability to delete Stories. They suggest using features like Friend Lists to limit your audience if you’re worried about who may view your Stories.
Overall, TikTok stands by the creative constraints of Stories and believes the 24-hour time limit allows for more authentic, fun sharing. Still, they say they’re listening to user feedback and may consider changes in the future.
Workarounds to Delete Stories
Since TikTok doesn’t allow users to delete individual stories, some users have come up with workarounds to essentially “delete” stories they no longer want public:
Quickly delete account and reactivate – Some users will temporarily delete their TikTok account, which removes all stories. They then reactivate their account, which gives them a fresh start without the stories.
Use a third party app (but against TOS) – There are third party apps like TikDelete that claim to allow deleting TikTok stories. However, this goes against TikTok’s Terms of Service.
Cover up stories with new photos/videos – Users can post new photos or videos to their stories, which pushes down older stories in the queue. This buries unwanted stories from public view.
Tips for Posting TikTok Stories
When creating TikTok Stories, it’s important to be authentic yet careful about oversharing. Remember that Stories disappear after 24 hours, so don’t post anything you’ll later regret. Here are some tips for posting great TikTok Stories:
Be authentic but avoid oversharing. Give your followers a peek into your daily life, but don’t reveal too much. Post about your interests and behind-the-scenes moments, but keep private details off of Stories.
Remember the 24 hour time limit. Stories only last a day before they disappear forever. Keep this ephemeral nature in mind when deciding what to post. Share timely content that’s relevant in the moment.
Use music and effects to enhance. TikTok offers lots of music and AR effects to make Stories more engaging. Try out different songs and lenses to bring your content to life.
Keep it casual and fun. Stories are meant for spontaneous, in-the-moment content. Don’t overthink it too much. Just share fun snippets as you go about your day.
Interact with viewers. Respond to comments and reactions as they come in. This makes followers feel seen and helps build relationships.
The Future of Deletable Stories
When TikTok first launched Stories in 2020, the ephemeral posts were automatically deleted after 24 hours, with no option for users to remove them sooner. This is in contrast to platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, which have always allowed users to delete their own stories. However, TikTok may eventually enable deleting stories as well.
When Instagram and Snapchat first introduced stories, users couldn’t delete them early on either. It took time for those platforms to give users more control. Now the option to delete is standard. As TikTok Stories continue to evolve, the app may similarly provide an option to remove posts on demand.
The primary pressures will likely come from TikTok users themselves. As more people post daily stories as part of their content creation, the demand to manage and curate that content will increase. Giving creators the ability to delete posts they don’t like or want to remove can improve the overall user experience. If enough users request the feature, TikTok may have to oblige to remain competitive.
So while manually deleting TikTok Stories isn’t possible today, it seems likely that the option will arrive eventually based on precedents set by other social media platforms. TikTok tends to adopt what works well elsewhere. Allowing users to remove stories could be next on the list as the app continues responding to creator needs.
Conclusion
In recap, there are a few main reasons why TikTok stories cannot be deleted by users. Primarily, this is by design since TikTok stories are intended to be ephemeral content that disappears after 24 hours. Allowing users to delete stories would go against the purpose of stories being temporary shares. Additionally, once a story is posted and viewed by others it becomes part of the public domain, so completely deleting it could pose challenges.
While some users may wish to remove an embarrassing story or regret a post, TikTok wants to maintain the authenticity and integrity of stories as in-the-moment updates. The inability to delete also encourages users to carefully consider what they share. Many other social platforms have similar restrictions on deleting ephemeral content for these reasons.
In closing, if you want full control over removing content from TikTok, it’s better to post standard videos instead of using stories. But stories can be a fun way to give candid behind-the-scenes glimpses. Just keep in mind whatever you share will be viewable for 24 hours. Post thoughtfully, relax and don’t sweat over the content too much, and enjoy connecting with your audience through TikTok stories!
