It looks like every piece of software with some social interactivity component is getting stories nowadays. The most recent example of this was the Xbox app which now allows you to share gameplay moments with those in your gaming circle. Now, Microsoft has announced that stories are coming to OneDrive too.
Stories in OneDrive are termed as "photo story". It basically allows you to share photos and videos with friends and family, allowing them to interact with your content in the form of reacts and comments.
It is important to note that photos stories follow an invite-only mechanism and you need to share access by adding someone"s Microsoft account. You also have the option to set a public access - and remove it later if want. Another configuration allows you to send an access link to people but you still have to approve their request after they open the link.
It is possible to customize a photo story as well. Of course, you can change your Microsoft account name and picture, but you can also set a cover photo and a description for your story.
Once you share a story, it will be visible to your followers in the "Shared" tab on their OneDrive. You can remove access for people or even delete photo stories through dedicated options.
OneDrive photo stories do not take up extra space on your account since you can only share photos that are stored on OneDrive only. That said, if you delete a photo that is being used in a photo story, a copy will still remain in the story and count towards your storage usage.
Microsoft has touted the lack of ads as a major selling point for this new feature and has also highlighted that you don"t need to have a premium subscription in order to use it, a Microsoft account is enough. Photo stories are also designed to be private and won"t show up in any search engines or related mechanisms.
Photo stories are currently supported on the following plans: OneDrive Basic 5 GB (free), OneDrive Standalone 100 GB, Microsoft 365 Personal, and Microsoft 365 Family. Work and school accounts are not currently supported.
The feature is currently available as a public preview in Australia only and will arrive in the U.S. and other countries later this year. There is no word on the tentative timelines for general availability yet.