diff --git a/stylesheets/components/StoryViewer.scss b/stylesheets/components/StoryViewer.scss
index ed3b8eb7a2..a5248d59d6 100644
--- a/stylesheets/components/StoryViewer.scss
+++ b/stylesheets/components/StoryViewer.scss
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
   &__container {
     flex-grow: 1;
     overflow: hidden;
+    outline: none;
   }
 
   &__story {
diff --git a/ts/components/StoryViewer.tsx b/ts/components/StoryViewer.tsx
index 54c669d0b2..28453ca5d4 100644
--- a/ts/components/StoryViewer.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/StoryViewer.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 
 import FocusTrap from 'focus-trap-react';
+import type { UIEvent } from 'react';
 import React, {
   useCallback,
   useEffect,
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@ import { strictAssert } from '../util/assert';
 import { MessageBody } from './conversation/MessageBody';
 import { RenderLocation } from './conversation/MessageTextRenderer';
 import { arrow } from '../util/keyboard';
+import { useElementId } from '../hooks/useUniqueId';
 
 function renderStrong(parts: Array<JSX.Element | string>) {
   return <strong>{parts}</strong>;
@@ -188,6 +190,8 @@ export function StoryViewer({
     StoryViewType | undefined
   >();
 
+  const [viewerId, viewerSelector] = useElementId('StoryViewer');
+
   const {
     attachment,
     bodyRanges,
@@ -355,6 +359,24 @@ export function StoryViewer({
   }, [story.messageId, storyDuration]);
 
   const [pauseStory, setPauseStory] = useState(false);
+  const [pressing, setPressing] = useState(false);
+  const [longPress, setLongPress] = useState(false);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let timer: NodeJS.Timeout | undefined;
+    if (pressing) {
+      timer = setTimeout(() => {
+        setLongPress(true);
+      }, 200);
+    } else {
+      setLongPress(false);
+    }
+    return () => {
+      if (timer) {
+        clearTimeout(timer);
+      }
+    };
+  }, [pressing]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!isWindowActive) {
@@ -373,7 +395,8 @@ export function StoryViewer({
     hasExpandedCaption ||
     isShowingContextMenu ||
     pauseStory ||
-    Boolean(reactionEmoji);
+    Boolean(reactionEmoji) ||
+    pressing;
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (shouldPauseViewing) {
@@ -593,9 +616,49 @@ export function StoryViewer({
     retryMessageSend(messageId);
   }
 
+  function isDescendentEvent(event: UIEvent) {
+    // Can occur when the user clicks on the overlay of an open modal
+    return event.currentTarget.contains(event.target as Node);
+  }
+
+  // .StoryViewer has events to pause the story, but certain elements it
+  // contains should not trigger that behavior.
+  const stopPauseBubblingProps = {
+    onMouseDown: (event: UIEvent) => event.stopPropagation(),
+    onKeyDown: (event: UIEvent) => event.stopPropagation(),
+  };
+
   return (
-    <FocusTrap focusTrapOptions={{ clickOutsideDeactivates: true }}>
-      <div className="StoryViewer">
+    <FocusTrap
+      focusTrapOptions={{
+        clickOutsideDeactivates: true,
+        initialFocus: viewerSelector,
+      }}
+    >
+      {/* eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/no-static-element-interactions */}
+      <div
+        className="StoryViewer"
+        // eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/no-noninteractive-tabindex
+        tabIndex={0}
+        id={viewerId}
+        onMouseDown={event => {
+          if (isDescendentEvent(event)) {
+            setPressing(true);
+          }
+        }}
+        onDragStart={() => setPressing(false)}
+        onMouseUp={() => setPressing(false)}
+        onKeyDown={event => {
+          if (isDescendentEvent(event) && event.code === 'Space') {
+            setPressing(true);
+          }
+        }}
+        onKeyUp={event => {
+          if (event.code === 'Space') {
+            setPressing(false);
+          }
+        }}
+      >
         {alertElement}
         <div
           className="StoryViewer__overlay"
@@ -773,15 +836,20 @@ export function StoryViewer({
                   )}
                 </div>
               </div>
-              <div className="StoryViewer__meta__playback-controls">
+              <div
+                className="StoryViewer__meta__playback-controls"
+                {...stopPauseBubblingProps}
+              >
                 <button
                   aria-label={
-                    pauseStory
+                    pauseStory || longPress
                       ? i18n('icu:StoryViewer__play')
                       : i18n('icu:StoryViewer__pause')
                   }
                   className={
-                    pauseStory ? 'StoryViewer__play' : 'StoryViewer__pause'
+                    pauseStory || longPress
+                      ? 'StoryViewer__play'
+                      : 'StoryViewer__pause'
                   }
                   onClick={() => setPauseStory(!pauseStory)}
                   type="button"
@@ -808,7 +876,7 @@ export function StoryViewer({
                 )}
               </div>
             </div>
-            <div className="StoryViewer__progress">
+            <div className="StoryViewer__progress" {...stopPauseBubblingProps}>
               {Array.from(Array(numStories), (_, index) => (
                 <div className="StoryViewer__progress--container" key={index}>
                   {currentIndex === index ? (
@@ -831,7 +899,7 @@ export function StoryViewer({
                 </div>
               ))}
             </div>
-            <div className="StoryViewer__actions">
+            <div className="StoryViewer__actions" {...stopPauseBubblingProps}>
               {sendStatus === ResolvedSendStatus.Failed &&
                 !wasManuallyRetried && (
                   <button
diff --git a/ts/hooks/useUniqueId.ts b/ts/hooks/useUniqueId.ts
index c6b099edc5..e954fec9a9 100644
--- a/ts/hooks/useUniqueId.ts
+++ b/ts/hooks/useUniqueId.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,24 @@
 // Copyright 2021 Signal Messenger, LLC
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 
-import { useMemo } from 'react';
+import { useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 import { v4 as uuid } from 'uuid';
 
 export function useUniqueId(): string {
   return useMemo(() => uuid(), []);
 }
+
+let nextElementId = 0;
+
+export function useElementId(
+  namePrefix: string
+): [id: string, selector: string] {
+  // Prefixed to avoid starting with a number (which is invalid in CSS selectors)
+  const [id] = useState(() => {
+    const currentId = nextElementId;
+    nextElementId += 1;
+    return `${namePrefix}-${currentId}`;
+  });
+  // Return the ID and a selector that can be used in CSS or JS
+  return [id, `#${id}`] as const;
+}