The BeReal app is surging in popularity, so if you haven't heard people talking about it, you probably will soon. Curious what it is and how it works? I'm breaking it all down for you.
BeReal describes itself as: Your Friends for Real. Everyday at a different time, everyone is notified simultaneously to capture and share a Photo in 2 Minutes. A new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.
The idea is that it's a more unfiltered (in fact, there are no filters) experience than apps like Instagram or Snapchat. So, let's discuss how to use it. Download it from the app store, and follow these directions.
Find your friends. BeReal will suggest people you know on the app if you connect your contacts. You can also share your profile link with friends by clicking on your name icon on the top right.
Wait for your first photo prompt. Prompts can be sent at any time -- BeReal keeps the exact time a secret. Everyone on the app gets notified at once.
Take your picture. When prompted, you'll have two minutes (it goes quick!) to snap your photo. Every BeReal post contains two simultaneous photos: one of whatever you capture with your back (regular) camera, and one selfie with your front camera. You don't get a preview of your selfie, and you can retake the photo as many times as you want in the two minutes.
Finalize your post. You can tap on the selfie to switch its place with the primary photo. Add a short caption.
Hit send. Your post will be live and you will now see your friends posts for that day.
Engage. You can react to your friends posts using Memojis, which are photos you take of yourself. For example, you can react to photos with a thumbs up, which would be a photo of you giving a thumbs up.
Explore. Similar to Instagram and TikTok, there is a discovery tab in BeReal. This is where you can see posts from others around the world. Be sure to check your privacy settings if you want to limit your posts to friends.
So, what do we think? A few friends and I are on the app and loving it. The anticipation of waiting for the prompt is really fun. And it really does give you more insight into what your friends day-to-day looks like (you can decide whether or not that's a good thing). My prediction is that BeReal won't just be a flash in the pan trend... it will be around for a while.