It can sometimes feel like there's a new social media app to keep up with every other week. The likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and more recently, short-form video platform TikTok - are part of people's everyday routines.
According to Statista, internet users worldwide spend an average of 147 minutes a day on social media, which adds up to nearly 900 hours a year. So it's no wonder tech companies are working hard to come up with the 'next big thing' to shake up the industry's landscape.
Recently, an app supposedly created to rival photo-sharing giant Instagram has been going viral. Forget filters and perfectly-curated selfies - this platform encourages its users to show life as it happens.
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Aptly named BeReal, the app prompts users to share photos of their everyday antics that might not otherwise make it to their social media feeds. The point of it is for people to share their lives in a 'real' way with friends - and maybe learn something about their own mates in return.
The app, created in 2020, was developed in France by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau. It has been installed around 7.67 million times since its invention as of April 2022, according to Apptopia.
How does BeReal work?
BeReal prompts people to snap a photo once a day and only gives them two minutes to do it in. A notification pops up on the user's phone, bookended by two yellow caution symbols.
The message reads: "2 min left to capture a BeReal and see what your friends are up to!" Once you open the app, you're prompted to take the picture.
BeReal utilises both the front and back cameras, capturing whatever it is you're doing and a selfie at the same time. It produces a composite photo, showing the scene in front of you with your selfie inset in the top left corner.
You then have the option to share the photo to your BeReal feed - either with friends or with the whole BeReal community on the discovery timeline. Some people also share their BeReals on Twitter and Instagram.
Everyday, a different time is randomly selected for BeRealers to take their photos. Everyone on the app gets the notification simultaneously.
Where can I download it?
BeReal can be downloaded for free. It can be accessed via the Apple app store and the Google play store.
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