BeReal: What is BeReal, who owns the app, does it work on Android and is it the same time every day?

But while it's been popular with younger users, not everyone is as taken with the app which frames itself as an antithesis to other ‘perfection’-focused social media apps such as Instagram.

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest social media craze.

What is BeReal?

BeReal is a French-and-Andorra-based social media app that asks users to post a photo in the moment at a randomly-selected two-minute window each day.

Photos are taken using the front and back camera simultaneously, enabling the poster to share who they are with and what they are doing.

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Can you post more than once a day on BeReal?

The app only allows users to post one photo per day, unlike other social media apps like Twitter which encourage the user to make multiple entries a day. In this sense it’s similar to Wordle, which encourages users to return on a daily basis to guess the word.

Who owns the BeReal app?

BeReal was founded in 2020 by CEO Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau.

When was BeReal released and when did it become popular?

The app was released in 2020, but has gained popularity this year.

Initially, the app spread on college campuses due to a paid ambassador programme.

By April, the application had been downloaded over 6.8 million times, with the majority of the downloads coming in 2022.

Is BeReal free and does BeReal work on Android?

BeReal is available globally on iOS and Android.

Is BeReal the same time every day?

The BeReal notification is shared at a random interval each day, meaning that users can’t plan their daily activities around it.

Because of the random time window users have to post a photo, there’s a focus on authenticity and not being able to ‘stage’ photos for likes or social clout - which other social media apps such as Instagram have come under fire for, particularly with the development of influencer culture.

Can you edit photos on BeReal?

In contrast to Instagram, BeReal does not allow any photo filters or other editing, and has no advertising or follower counts.

What’s more, BeReal users can only see and engage with their friends and family’s posts from that day if they have posted themselves - which means that you can’t compare yourself to others prior to posting.

What has the reception been to BeReal?

While the number of downloads signals the appeal of the BeReal app to Gen Z, tech journalists have had a more mixed response to the application.

Vice journalist Jason Koebler said: “The buzzy app creates a new type of social media dystopia where it looks like no one ever does anything interesting.”

He added: “If Instagram has the problem of making people's lives look artificially glamorous, BeReal has the problem of making people's lives look extremely (EXTREMELY) boring.”