Over the past years, Russian authorities have been systematically blocking independent media and platforms. IStories Media itself has been blocked in Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion — that's how much the Kremlin dislikes the investigations we do.
We don't want to wait until everything is blocked completely. So we built our own app to make sure people in Russia can read IStories despite censorship. And because we have an English version of the website for the international audience interested in important stories from Russia, we made the app bilingual. So you, our dear friend, can use it too.
We had planned to launch the app in March, but the Telegram crackdown in Russia changed our timeline. That's why we're releasing it now. Even though the app is missing some planned features, it's already doing a great job.
Here's what the IStories app can already do:
- Bypasses censorship. The app has a built-in proxy. If you're in Russia without a VPN, it will give you full access to all our reporting.
- Disguises itself. If you're in Russia and worried someone might see the app on your phone, change the icon in settings. It can look like a notebook, an e-reader, or even a calculator. No one will know what's inside.
- If you want to change the name of the app as well, follow these instructions for iPhones or for Android phones.
- Works offline. Every time you open the app, it saves stories to your device. Anything marked "available offline" can be read wherever there's no signal.
- Updates itself. No need to visit the App Store or Google Play. The app installs major updates automatically — just restart it from time to time. Even if the Kremlin forces Google or Apple to delete our app from the store, you'll still be able to read important stories and stay updated.
- Lets you contact the newsroom. In the "Suggest" section, you can share your story with us and attach files. Everything is fully anonymous and encrypted.
Since we're releasing ahead of schedule, there may be bugs. If you run into any issues, please let us know via the bug report form in the app (Settings > Report a Bug) or write to letter@istories.media. We'll fix them ASAP.
Install the app:
Thank you for being with us.
Alesya Marokhovskaya, Editor-in-Chief, IStories Media