Most downloaded BeReal app delivers mortifying moments

A new app has captured a moment that a woman would rather not have broadcast to over 20 million people.

BeReal, the hottest new social media app, has exploded in global popularity in recent months as millions of Gen Z and Millennials migrate to the instant photo-sharing app that has no filters and “won’t make you famous”.

While apps like Instagram and TikTok are places of unattainable beauty and wealth, BeReal offers users the chance to share one photo a day that offers a real snapshot of their life using both the front and back camera on their phone.

Despite being the antithesis to other sites, BeReal’s “less is more” ethos is resonating after it became the most downloaded app on Apple in July and recorded a total of 21.6 million active worldwide users during the same time, over 1.2 million of which are Australians.

Viral moments

While some critics have labelled BeReal as boring and accused it of highlighting the mundanity of everyday life, a number of viral posts show the power of sharing just one photo a day at a randomised time chosen by the app.

Such was the case for American teenager Madison Smieja, who received her daily BeReal alert when she and her family were sitting on a church pew dressed in black waiting for her great aunt’s funeral to begin. The photo, which was shared via TikTok, amassed almost 100,000 views.

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Madison Smieja was alerted to take her BeReal photo while she was at her aunt’s funeral.

The front camera showed her in the pew while her back camera showed her aunt’s casket.

Other viral moments have included a woman posting an image of her legs in stirrups with the caption, “When your male OB [obstetrician] is opening your cervix to insert an IUD into your uterus but BeReal says it’s time.”

@jazz.moe

Is it just me or does BeReal choose some really bad times to give that notification…? ⚠️⚠️ #ImTryingToBeReal#bereal#iud#doctor#mirena#medical#college#contraception

♬ original sound - anna 🪐🍒🧸

Other iconic moments to be born from the app include users getting their daily alert during a Harry Styles concert, while meeting US Vice President Kamala Harris, during a minor house fire, and even in the middle of a break-up. Not exactly glamorous, but definitely very real.

One BeReal user was mid-meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris when his BeReal app went off. Picture: Twitter @lincolnlle

Singer Harry Styles made an appearance on BeReal as the app went off mid-concert. Picture: Twitter @harrysgvf

Nothing like a casual house fire to make you go viral on a app to show real-life. Picture: Twitter @mfscraniel

@bellabellahull

#bereal#fyp#fypage

♬ original sound - AnxietyGangOfficial

How does BeReal actually work?

Created by former GoPro employee Alexis Barreya, BeReal sends users a randomised notification from the app telling them that ‘It’s time to BeReal’ and post their one photo for the day. Followers all receive the same alert at the same time, essentially creating a mass visual check-in with friends and family.

BeReal alerts you take a snapshot with your front and back camera in the next two minutes. Picture: BeReal

The notification comes with a two-minute window in which a user’s phone takes a dual-sided image using the front and back cameras of a smartphone to capture a selfie of the user and what they’re seeing or doing at that moment in time.

Unlike other social media apps, BeReal has no filters, and with the alert time varying each day creating ‘perfect’ content is near impossible.

Gone are immaculate flatlays, perfectly choreographed dance routines and effortless morning sun selfies on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. In their place are images of people stuck in peak-hour traffic, watching TV on the couch, lying in bed with dirty hair and no makeup, walking their pets or studying.

BeReal can capture some mundane moments. Picture: BeReal

The snapshots are shared with friends on the app. Picture: BeReal

Somewhat savagely, followers are alerted when a user has opted to take multiple images within their allotted two minutes, and should you miss your two-minute window your post will be marked as late for your friends to see. Users can also opt to share the location of their posts, but it’s not mandatory.

Should you decide to delete your initial post and retake it, you’re required to select a reason as to why and there can only be one deletion per day in a bid to encourage users to accept the imperfect.

How is BeReal different from other social media apps?

Where platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok trade on the currency of follower count and engagement rates, so far BeReal’s success has come from eschewing that model and instead creating a platform that describes itself as: “No filters. No likes. No followers. No bulls**t. No ads. Just your friends, for real.”

Having said that, the app does allow you to share your images to other social media apps, with BeReal content consistently trending on TikTok and Instagram going as far as introducing its own BeReal-style filter.

Another major difference is how users engage with one another. While you can comment or react to another user’s photos, the app does not display follower counts or any engagement metrics.

The ultra-minimalist interface allows users to browse the content of others via the ‘My Friends’ or ‘Discovery’ tab but profiles display no previous content, meaning those countless hours of stalking and doom scrolling wasted on other apps can’t and don’t happen here.

Should your snap go viral, it remains online only for 24 hours and users receive a notification every time their image is screenshotted by someone else.

Katy Hall is a freelance writer.