As 2022 edged to a close, you’ve probably noticed an influx of recap stories from your friends from a mysterious new app called BeReal. This app will be going even stronger in 2023, as more people discover what it has in store, but what is it about and should you give it a try?
This French app was developed by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau in 2020, but it took two years before it gained global appeal. Like most apps these days, BeReal started its rise to prominence after being discovered by Gen-Z, and it was largely praised for its authentic feel.
According to BeReal’s official description, its main goal is to offer a new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life. Once per day, the app simultaneously notifies all users to post what they’re doing at any given moment, sharing photos from both the front and back cameras during the span of two minutes.
If you’re not able to post a photo during the two-minute window, it’s not the end of the world. Your friends will see a timestamp that reads “late” if you waited longer to post your photo. If you skip posting it altogether, you won’t be able to see your friend’s posts that day.
Even though it sounds pretty mundane when compared to other popular apps, BeReal received praise for being less addictive and minimizing social media fatigue. Due to the lack of filters and editing tools, it’s also seen as more authentic than most modern apps because it shifts focus on small moments without glamorizing them.