A collection of soda cans on a sticky desk, or a light wink from a half-empty subway car on the way to work, aren’t the kind of things you can imagine uploading to a polished, curated Instagram feed.
But BeReal, an increasingly popular social media app, encourages users to give a real account of their daily life by sending a notification to send users a picture of what they’re doing at any time of the day.
Founded in France in 2020, BeReal has grown quietly and currently has more downloads in the AppStore than Facebook, despite having no filters, ads or like buttons.
BeReal says they have two minutes to take a filter-free photo using both the phone’s front and rear cameras, sending a notification to all users at the same time, which they can reach at any time of the day.
Although you can take the photo after the specified time, other users are warned that there is a delay in taking the photo, so this may not be an accurate snapshot of your life.
Users are encouraged to add people they know rather than creating lots of strangers. All images will disappear the next time the app notifies users to post.
The new BeReal social media app simultaneously sends a notification to all users at any time of the day that they have two minutes to take a photo with their phone’s front and rear cameras. A France-based user shared a selfie of their cats as the rear camera was pulled under the table.
One BeReal user shared a photo of him spending a night in Thailand (left), while another was stranded on the London Underground (right) when the report came true.
Founded by French entrepreneurs Kévin Perreau and Alexis Barreyat The app is designed to create “a new and unique way to find out who your friends really are in their daily lives”.
Last year, Perreau and Barreyat reportedly raised more than $36 million from US venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz, Accel Partners, and DST Global.
BeReal is currently the second most downloaded social media app after Facebook in the App Store. However, Instagram and TikTok are listed as Photo & Video & Entertainment respectively.
According to analytics company Sensor Tower, the startup had nearly four million downloads worldwide on the App Store and Google Play between January 2021 and February 2022.
A user living in Germany shared a photo of him exercising at the gym when the notification appeared in the app.
The platform, which first gained popularity in France, is said to have around 300,000 monthly active users worldwide.
BeReal is available on the App Store and warns that “maybe you screwed up” the platform and “it won’t make you famous”, warning that “if you want to be an influencer, you can stay on TikTok and Instagram”.
photos are private By default they are only visible to approved friends, but you can share photos publicly on the “discovery timeline” if you want.
It seems celebrities haven’t discovered the app yet, and users can only view other people’s content, even if that post is private, if they’ve shared their own posts.
Users can delete the photo of the day and replace it with another photo, but users are not recommended to do this from the app.
The app sends a simultaneous notification to users at any time of the day and the photo uses both the front and rear cameras of their phones. A BeReal user in Slovakia shared a photo while studying
According to tech publication Protocol, Barreyat started BeReal after becoming frustrated with social media after spending time with influencers while working as a video producer.
“Every time she opened Instagram, it was filled with ads, influencers, and everyone’s perfect life,” a spokesperson told the website. “Her life wasn’t always as perfect as they made it seem.”
After launching the app two years ago, he wrote on LinkedIn: “Keep launching BeReal, the first ever uncontrollable photo sharing app.
“After getting tired and annoyed with all the bullshit on social media, I decided to start mine. No likes, no followers, no ads, no filters, just what my friends do, in the most authentic way possible.
BeReal has taken UK and US university campuses by storm, with many turning to Twitter to praise the app with the slogan “BeReal is an elite form of social media”.
Launched in 2020, the app has no filters, ads, or like buttons, and users are encouraged to add people they know rather than creating lots of strangers.
The happiness that ‘BeReal’ brings me 5 minutes a day is immense. I like to see what the best is up to,” said another.
The third wrote: ‘I LIVE for two minutes a day that I’m allowed to use BeReal. literally my two favorite minutes of the day.
“I love BeReal because I’m very curious and I love knowing what people are doing at random times of the day,” another user said.
The app currently has a five-star rating, with several positive reviews from users stating that BeReal is a refreshing change from other platforms where users are encouraged to pursue modified versions of their lives.
One user initially described how “embarrassing” it was to post a photo of him “in pajamas with crazy hair,” but soon discovered that his friends’ lives were very different from what they saw on other social media.
BeReal has taken UK and US university campuses by storm, with many taking to Twitter to praise the app and writing one: BeReal is an elite form of social media.
“You can’t post something planned, it’s random and real,” the user wrote. ‘You really have a glimpse into people’s lives. Worth to try.’
Another user described the app as a great way to communicate with friends or family far away, writing: “I look at their life every day and it’s beautiful.
“I highly recommend it, and most of all, I love the memory function as a little scrapbook from your daily life to look back on.”
Another positive comment said: “This is a great approach to a new social media app. It works great with a great concept behind it.
“I truly believe this app will be the future of social media because it is sustainable and realistic social media that offers something that no other app offers.”
Source: Daily Mail
