Image: © Diego/Stock.adobe.com
BeReal saw a surge in popularity last year, but some reports suggest this has died down in 2023 – a claim the app has denied.
BeReal, the social media app built around capturing “authentic moments”, is getting multiple new features to maintain its user base.
One of these features is ‘behind the scenes’, which lets users share the few seconds that occurred before they took their daily BeReal image. The goal is to let users share a bit more of what’s going on in their everyday lives and the company claims this was one of the most requested features by its user base.
The app will also let users create their own groups where they can share their photos with a specific group of friends. Meanwhile, users will soon be able to add tags to their posts to show who else was in a photo with them – or repost content they were tagged in.
First launched in 2020, BeReal presents itself as an alternative to other platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. The app saw a surge of popularity last year, particularly among a younger audience.
When notified, users simultaneously take a photo using both the front and back-facing phone cameras, to capture both their face and their activity. BeReal says this gives users a “unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life”.
Last year, BeReal rose to become the top-ranked free app on the Apple App Store in the US. The country appeared to be BeReal’s main market as it represents around 35pc of users, according to data shared with FastCompany.
But more recent reports suggest the app’s popularity has waned in 2023. Reports suggested that the app’s daily active user figures peaked to 20m in October 2022, but dropped to roughly half by March 2023. BeReal has claimed reports that it is losing momentum are inaccurate and said in September that it had more than 25m active users worldwide.
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