BeReal

By Emma Horton, Sarah Jimenez & Iyanna Grant

BeReal is an app that is bringing back truth to social media. Many people think it’s new, but it’s actually been around for two years. Apptopia reported in August that BeReal had been downloaded more than 43 million times since its launch. This app has become one of the newest obsessions for Gen Z. However, many are curious about how it works or why it even became popular. Continue reading to learn more about BeReal!

How Does BeReal Work

The way BeReal works is very simple. According to Independent, the app encourages users to take one photo a day at a random time during a two-minute window. The purpose of this is to capture a real snapshot of a user’s life. If they post late, however, they are not able to see others’ photos until they post. The app uses both the front and the back camera to show exactly what is happening in the moment. After posting, a user can see their friends’ posts from the day and react with either emojis or comments. Users can retake photos as many times as they like, but BeReal will show how many times a user has retaken one. BeReal has no filters or edit tools. All of the images represent a moment of truth in the user’s life, hence the name, BeReal.

What Do People Think About BeReal

A lot of users are currently loving BeReal. At the moment, the BeReal hashtag has over 524 million views on TikTok, with videos ranging from people capturing a BeReal at concerts to people joking about doing one while getting dumped. Users have also taken to other social media apps to talk about how much they love the app. One Twitter user said “BeReal is by far my favorite social media. Simple.” Most are comparing the BeReal craze to the Wordle one that swept the globe earlier this year. A journalist by the name of Ryan Broderick wrote “BeReal is not an Instagram competitor. It’s actually part of the same trend as Wordle. The simultaneous push alert and time offers a brief shared online experience among a very fractured social web.” On the app store, the BeReal app has gained a 4.8 star rating and has reached the number one spot on the free app list.

How BeReal Is Affecting Other Apps

When other social media apps realized how much fame BeReal had gotten, they decided to try and copy the app. Snapchat, for example, added a dual camera option. While copying the app, Snapchat is also trying to add an on-brand spin to it. Instagram confirmed to TIME that it’s working on something new called “Candid Challenges” which is a feature that will prompt users to capture and share a photo of their surroundings during a different two-minute window each day. However, Instagram has completely missed the point, as BeReal is known as an “anti-Instagram” app. TikTok’s new feature, “TikTok Now”, is very similar to the popular app. Just like the app, everyday TikTok users get a notification to post their photo of the day. It’s no surprise that TikTok started to take notes after seeing BeReal’s rapid rise to fame.

Whether posting a photo of your day or seeing what friends are up to, everyone is loving BeReal. The popular app has helped people connect in a new, non-filtered way. It’s truly the app of Gen Z. BeReal is a great app to be real with others about your life and stay up to date on the daily lives of fellow users.