What is BeReal? Everything you need to know about this fast-growing social media app

For example, instead of the thumbs up emoji, a user could send themselves give a thumbs up. Because of its daily cycle of engagement, it has been compared to Wordle, which gained popularity earlier in 2022.[26] It also supports a platform similar to Snapchat with a theme of impermanence and brevity. In the past, trendy apps like Houseparty and Clubhouse have had big moments of popularity, but after a while, people around me have stopped using them, so I’m excited to see what happens in this case.

• While you can retake your BeReal as many times as you like during the two-minute countdown, once you’ve pressed „post,” you can only delete and retake it once.
• Unlike TikTok or Instagram, content is wiped from the feed every day and replaced by the next batch of posts.
• To sign up for BeReal, all you need to do is go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, download the app and create an account.

Users can also share their location and save the image to their device. If the photo is shared outside of the standard two minute window, other users can see a note that tells them this. I’ve also found that BeReal isn’t an app I would spend hours procrastinating on. I usually post my picture, briefly scroll through and react to my friends’ pictures, and then get on with the rest of my day. It has felt like a refreshing and healthy way to use social media that I’ve really come to appreciate.

Comparison to other platforms

BeReal’s recent surge in downloads can be partially attributed to a string of viral TikToks referencing the social media app. BeReal is a social media app that might just bring back a little bit of authenticity to our social media posts. BeReal is a French social media photo sharing app released water proof women massager in 2020, gaining popularity in 2022. It encourages users to post a photo of themselves and their lives without filters or editing to the images every day at a different time. In September, TikTok introduced TikTok Now, a way to „foster authentic and spontaneous connections on TikTok”.

I very quickly got a sense of what the app was all about because I didn’t have time to assess the lighting or fix my hair before having to take the shot. When posting a BeReal, the app takes a picture using both your front and back camera, so other people can see what you look like and where you are. BeReal sounds like it would serve a similar function to some group chats Stedman already has in his life, he said. These are places where not every photo has to be polished, where friends share links and are more intimate about the details of their lives. Stedman started working on his book after he went through a difficult moment in his life, and found that he was not telling that story online, where he was posting as if everything was fine. „Snapchat is more like you’re sending this to one person, if you post on your story, you’re trying to look good,” she said.

BeReal Basics: How to Use the ‘Unfiltered’ Social Media App

You need an account to get started on BeReal, which is available for iPhone and Android. Once you’ve downloaded the app, it will request access to your contacts to connect with friends who may use the service already (you can decline, if you wish). Unless your Rolodex is full of trendsetters, many of your friends may not use the platform yet. Leaving time-sensitive notifications on is crucial if you aim to post within the daily two minutes. BeReal might be the closest thing to an unvarnished social media experience, although you do get two minutes to get the best snap of course.

• BeReal also features a ‘Discovery’ section,[23] whereby users are given the option to share to a much wider, public audience.
• According to BeReal’s Terms of Use, the app is for those aged 13 and older.
• Well, you’ll have to spend time on a different app, because everyone’s photos will be inaccessible on BeReal until you make a contribution for the day.
• The company employs marketer Emily Moravits, who previously helped lead the student ambassador program for dating app Bumble.
• „But the fact of the matter is there is kind of nothing more human than curating a self that you share with the world.”

Family photo albums or homemade movies from childhood are also snapshots of the best moments. The parameters in place are billed by the app as „a new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.” There’s also a comments section under every person’s post, where friends can chime in with their witty (or not so witty) remarks, making for a lot of wholesome fun all around. When I tried to delete my unflattering BeReal post, I was given a list of options and asked to tick the reason I wanted to delete my picture. In total, Mueller said she had around 50 friends on BeReal, a much smaller number than the 2,000 or so followers she has on Instagram. And unlike Instagram or Snapchat, where Mueller says there is pressure „to look good,” she thinks BeReal doesn’t have that fake feeling to it.

How do you shoot a BeReal?

Overall, Stedman says a key factor to consider when you’re connecting with friends in DMs or on a larger social platform is how exactly you’re going about it. „A big part of why I wrote it is because I was trying to figure out whether or not the internet is a place where we can feel human,” he said. „But the fact of the matter is there is kind of nothing more human than curating a self that you share with the world.” This year alone, downloads have grown by at least 315%, according to data from Apptopia.

• The app is targeting college students with its ambassador program and it seems to be working.
• BeReal might be the closest thing to an unvarnished social media experience, although you do get two minutes to get the best snap of course.
• In December 2022, similar to Spotify’s „Wrapped,” BeReal launched a feature involving a video of a compilation of users’ BeReal posts of 2022.
• One thing I really didn’t like about BeReal is the way it notifies you when someone’s photo has been posted after the two-minute notification has passed.

Yik Yak, which let people read anonymous posts from nearby users, shut down a few years later amid waves of controversy. Your friends can comment and leave RealMojis on your BeReals; strangers on the discovery feed are confined to RealMojis. Unlike TikTok or Instagram, content is wiped from women wearable wireless smart phone app bluetooth remote control panty massager manual the feed every day and replaced by the next batch of posts. Users have the option to save past posts using the Memories features, and old images are not public. Then every day at a different time, the app alerts users that it’s time to take a photo of what they are doing in the moment.

Recent posts

I aspired to post on time every day, feeling especially proud of myself when I managed to do so. BeReal allows you to share photos of yourself and your life, but with a catch. It tells you that it’s time to post your BeReal for the day and you have two minutes to do so.

• The catch is before you view anyone else’s post for the day, you have to post your own photos.
• These are places where not every photo has to be polished, where friends share links and are more intimate about the details of their lives.
• Posting a BeReal is a very simple process since the photos are meant to be as authentic as possible.
• Many young people have embraced the app because of this, seeing many benefits.

While the search for authenticity online may be a fruitless one, the app is well-designed and easy to pick up. In December 2022, similar to Spotify’s „Wrapped,” BeReal launched a feature involving a video of a compilation of users’ BeReal posts of 2022. I initially thought BeReal was strictly for sharing photos, but after a few days, I realized I could also add a caption underneath my picture after it went live. Rather, you have to take a selfie of your face inside a circle template on the app. These are called „realmojis,” where instead of commenting on someone’s post with an emoji, your facial expression becomes an emoji in itself. According to the BeReal website, you can only delete your post once a day after you’ve posted it on your feed.

I tried BeReal, the buzzy photo-sharing app trying to stop people using filters, and after 7 days I was hooked

According to BeReal’s Terms of Use, the app is for those aged 13 and older. To react to someone else’s post on BeReal, you can’t just hit a „heart” or „thumbs up” button. I first heard about it from a friend, who said she was absolutely loving it and wanted our entire friendship group to start using it.

• At best, it’s social media but without the airbrushed fictional curated edge.
• Photos, RealMojis and comments can all be reported if they fall into these categories or breach other items on the Terms of Use.
• While the search for authenticity online may be a fruitless one, the app is well-designed and easy to pick up.
• These are called „realmojis,” where instead of commenting on someone’s post with an emoji, your facial expression becomes an emoji in itself.
• On BeReal, you can only post photos with the two-box, front and back camera format when you are prompted.
• I kept getting frustrated that my pictures weren’t as polished or aesthetic as I would usually want them to be, but I’m slowly starting to enjoy the fact that there’s no pressure to look my best on the app.

One thing I really didn’t like about BeReal is the way it notifies you when someone’s photo has been posted after the two-minute notification has passed. I was thankful that my post would only be visible to people I added as „friends” on the app, so no one else could see this rather unimpressive picture. When I first downloaded the app, it almost immediately asked me to post my first BeReal, giving me a two-minute countdown to take my picture.

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It definitely took me a few days to get used to BeReal’s unique format. I kept getting frustrated that my pictures weren’t as polished or aesthetic as I would usually want them to be, but I’m slowly starting to enjoy the fact that there’s no pressure to look my best on the app. I started to really like this feature, as it allowed me to add context to my BeReal and explain what I was doing. I had a lot of fun with these, as it felt like I could react to what my friends were doing in a more authentic and personal way by showing them my own face.

• The picture features whatever the user focused on as well as an image of the user in their current state in the top corner.
• In an age where social media features heavily edited photos, an app like BeReal can encourage authenticity.
• Yik Yak, which let people read anonymous posts from nearby users, shut down a few years later amid waves of controversy.
• BeReal encourages participation by asking users to share content before they can view other people’s posts.

Where Yik Yak oozes toxicity, BeReal feels like a safe haven, at least for the time being. If you convince a couple of friends to participate, the app can be off-the-cuff fun. BeReal is a rare social media experience that does not feel like a constant competition for maximum exposure. Even if it doesn’t last forever, you may have a good time relishing the banal. Jules Kourelakos, a student at Duke University, pointed out that while BeReal appears less performative than other social media options, users continue to capture a posed version of themselves.

What happens to your BeReal after you post it?

„It’s just so fun to, like, go take a break throughout my day and just go on there and see exactly what people are doing in the moment and, like, throughout their day and where people are at,” she said. The idea is you take a photo of whatever you’re doing at that time, no matter how mundane or exciting. You could be walking to class, taking a bus to work, or maybe you get the notification right as you’re sitting down for dinner or on a bike ride.

Other users can also see how many attempts the poster took to take the BeReal, as well as their location when the BeReal was taken. BeReal also features a ‘Discovery’ section,[23] whereby users are given the option to share to a much wider, public audience. This feature, however, is limited, as users are not able to interact <--more--> with the posts through commenting—unlike the ‘My Friends’ feature. A French social media platform launched by Alexis Barreyat in 2020, BeReal recently reached the top of the free download charts on iOS, surpassing TikTok. The app initially gained popularity overseas, then attracted dedicated posters on US college campuses.

What is BeReal?

Users have 2 minutes to take a photo and submit it to BeReal for others to see. The picture features whatever the user focused on as well as an image of the user in their current state in the top corner. Posting a BeReal is a very simple process since the photos are meant to be as authentic as possible.

• BeReal’s Terms of Use encourages users to report any content that is sexual or pornographic, or related to hate speech, extremism, violence, suicide or self-harm.
• Meredith Mueller is a sophomore at the University of Kansas where she’s studying journalism.
• While on-time BeReals show the time it was uploaded, late BeReals uploaded after the two-minute window only show how late the poster is.

When a user downloads the BeReal app, they must add their phone number, name and age. At this point, they are asked to create their first BeReal post to start seeing others’ photos too. One of the best features of BeReal is being able to see a collection of your daily posts. In your memories, you will be able to see a calendar layout with your photos from every day you completed the task. On BeReal, you can only post photos with the two-box, front and back camera format when you are prompted. There is no option to post additional content, such as other photos, because that would take away from the „in the moment” aspect of the app.

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Your friends are also supposed to get the notification at the same time. BeReal’s Terms of Use encourages users to report any content that is sexual or pornographic, or related to hate speech, extremism, violence, suicide or self-harm. Photos, RealMojis and comments can all be reported if they fall into these categories or breach other items on the Terms of Use.

• The curation that individuals do on other social media platforms is part of what BeReal is trying to break with the lack of filters and the timestamps it has.
• BeReal sounds like it would serve a similar function to some group chats Stedman already has in his life, he said.
• The app initially gained popularity overseas, then attracted dedicated posters on US college campuses.
• Buzz continues to grow, although BeReal has yet to prove its staying power.
• Stedman started working on his book after he went through a difficult moment in his life, and found that he was not telling that story online, where he was posting as if everything was fine.

„Whereas this is like … wherever you’re at, whatever you’re doing, you stop in the moment and all your friends can see it. It’s more like a down-to-earth app. I would say it’s like a judgment-free zone.” BeReal’s 315% year-to-date increase in downloads is significant, but that’s not the only notable number. The app was started by French entrepreneur Alexis Barreyat in 2020, but at least 65% of lifetime downloads happened in the first quarter of 2022. There are six standard emojis to react with along with an option to create a RealMoji. With RealMoji, users can create their own by taking a picture of themselves.