What is BeReal?
BeReal is a photo-sharing social media app.
However, it’s very different from apps like Instagram, which reward perfectly curated, aesthetically pleasing feeds.
Far from it: the goal on BeReal is to share real, everyday moments with your friends.
Alexis Barreyat, one of the founders, explained his vision for the app in a LinkedIn post:
Stoked to finally launch BeReal, the First Uncontrollable Photo Sharing App. After being tired and annoyed with all the bullshit on social media, I decided to launch my own. No like, No followers, No ads, No filters, just what my Friends are doing, in the most authentic way possible. Give it a try, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Alexis Barreyat
Co-founder of BeReal
How does BeReal work?
BeReal sends a push notification to all its users at the same random point in the day.
You then have two minutes to take a photo in the app and post it.
You have to take two pictures: one with the front camera and one with the rear camera. 📷
Your friends can then see how many retakes you took and whether the photo was taken on time.
This setup allows BeReal users to share spontaneous snapshots of real life situations.
As with Instagram Stories, the photos can only be viewed for 24 hours.
BeReal does not yet have a message function, which is available on most social media platforms. ✉
There are two tabs on your BeReal feed, "My Friends" and "Discovery".
My Friends only shows pictures your friends have shared.
With Discovery, you can also discover photos posted by other users around the world.
You must choose to share your image publicly to have it shared to the Discovery tab.
Does BeReal notify you of screenshots?
Yes, BeReal does let you know if someone has screenshotted your post.
If someone has taken a screenshot of your BeReal, a notification icon will appear next to the image that was screenshotted.
A yellow shutter icon will be displayed in the topright corner of your BeReal post if you are an Android user.
If you are using BeReal on iPhone, you will get a notification underneath your posts that shows the number of screenshots your posts has between brackets.
iPhone users will have to share their BeReal outside of the app (i.e. send it via WhatsApp, Instagram etc.) to view who screenshotted their post. Android users, however, can immediately view who screenshotted by tapping the screen capture icon.
Who founded BeReal and when?
The new social media app BeReal was founded in January 2020.
The idea for the app came from Frenchmen Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau.
Alexis Barreyat previously worked with GoPro, and had a lot of contact with influencers. Seeing how curated and fake some people presented their lives on social media, he was motivated to develop a more authentic alternative.
Difference to Instagram and others
As the name suggests, BeReal places great emphasis on being real.
Unlike Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and other social networks, BeReal does not allow self-aggrandising.
Functions such as filters, likes, advertising, etc., don’t feature heavily here, in contrast to other well-known social media platforms.
In addition, RealMojis make interactions among users more personal.
What is a RealMoji?
A RealMoji is a personalised emoji with your own face and expressions.
How many users are on BeReal?
BeReal has 73.5 million monthly active users worldwide as of August 2022.
In 2021, there were just 920,000 active users.
This corresponds to an increase of 7,989 % compared to the previous year. ⬆
BeReal ranks at 6th place in social media app usage in the UK.
| Year | Monthly active users (in millions) |
| 2021 | 0.92 |
| July 2022 | 21.6 |
| August 2022 | 73.5 |
A whopping 20 million use the BeReal app daily, as of October 2022.
| Year | Daily active users (in millions) |
| 2021 | 0.71 |
| July 2022 | 2.93 |
| August 2022 | 10 |
| October 2022 | 23 |
Where is BeReal available?
BeReal is available in most European countries as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Brazil. 🌍
The app is available in the following languages:
- English
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Korean
- Japanese
- Chinese
How many downloads does BeReal have?
As of October 2022, BeReal has been installed over 67.2 million times worldwide. 🔽
When it comes to BeReal downloads by country, the app was installed most frequently in the US (2.7 million downloads), France (1.7 million downloads) and coming in at third, the UK with 1.5 million downloads (as of May 2022).
Here again are the exact number of installs in tabular form:
| Countries | Installs in millions (as of May 2022) |
| United States of America | 2,702,000 |
| France | 1,681,000 |
| United Kingdom | 1,514,000 |
| Spain | 731,000 |
| Belgium | 326,000 |
| Canada | 303,000 |
| Denmark | 277,000 |
| Netherlands | 194,000 |
| Mexico | 191,000 |
| Brazil | 162,000 |
| Ireland | 160,000 |
| Germany | 156,000 |
| Italy | 127,000 |
| Australia | 121,000 |
| Norway | 110,000 |
| Sweden | 96,000 |
When it comes to Google Play Store rankings, BeReal ranks at 7th in the UK, with TikTok in first place.
BeReal user statistics by age and gender in the UK and worldwide
Let’s take a look at the BeReal stats and demographics for users in the UK and beyond.
BeReal users skew heavily female across most regions, with 99% of UK users being female. The United States is the only region surveyed here that comes closer to a gender balance.
When it comes to BeReal usage by age, Gen Z dominates across most regions. Australia, Brazil, and France report over 80% of its BeReal user base (that use iPhones) as being aged 16-24 as of April 2022, with the UK coming in at slightly under 80%.
BeReal appears to be more popular among millennials in Germany and the US, where 56% and 55% of this age group respectively report using the photo-sharing app.
Gen Z BeReal usage in the UK
So who uses BeReal in the UK? We’ve taken a look at how Gen-Z users are using BeReal in the UK. (Source: Statista).
31% of social media users between 16 and 18 years in the UK use BeReal daily. When asked about weekly usage, this percentage rose to 42% in the same age group.
In the 19-21 years age group, the number of respondents reporting daily engagement dropped to 25%, while weekly engagement is reported to be 41%.
As is often the case with new, trendy social media platforms, it seems that usage drops off as age increase. Less than 2 in 10 users between 22 and 24 reported using BeReal daily.
How does BeReal make money?
BeReal's only source of income at the moment is investments. 💶
BeReal does not require users to take out a subscription, which would allow them to earn money.
Purchases or advertising within the app are also not possible so far.
How much turnover has BeReal made so far?
BeReal does not generate revenue.
In June 2021, the company received $30 million in funding from venture capital investment firms Accel and a16z. 💲
The latest funding round finished in August 2022 and raised roughly $60 million.
BeReal data protection
According to BeReal's privacy policy, the content published by users is collected.
In addition, the social media app uses cookies if consent is given at the time of the query. 🍪
As with TikTok, the minimum age for using BeReal is 13.
App review
Setting it up
- Step 1: Download the app. 🔽
- Step 2: Go through the introduction of how the app works.
- Step 3: Enter name, date of birth and telephone number.
- Step 4: Enter the code sent by SMS in the app. ✉
- Step 5: Create a username.
- Step 6: Allow or deny access to contacts. (This will allow you to find friends who also use BeReal).
- Step 7: Allow / reject notifications.
- Step 8: Allow access to camera. 📷
BeReal App Test
After our live test of the BeReal app, we can say quite clearly:
The app is fun and gives more insight into the real lives of your friends!
Since there are not many options in the BeReal app, there is no search bar.
In addition, it’s not possible to send messages to friends. ✉
These two factors are crucial for the success of social media apps. 🏆
Because users spend more time on the app as a result.
BeReal is still at the beginning and will probably continue to develop more features.
Conclusion on BeReal app
The reality-based social media app BeReal is innovative and entertaining.
But there is definitely still potential for development. 🔧
Whether it will prevail against platforms like Instagram remains to be seen.
Since the app was only released in 2020, there isn’t much data available yet.
The statistics presented in this article are updated regularly. 🔄
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Find out more:
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Is it possible to place advertisements on BeReal?
No, currently BeReal does not allow advertising. ❌
It is clearly defined in the terms of use that any kind of advertising is prohibited.
If this changes in the future, we’ll update you here.
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How do I change the BeReal notification times?
It is not possible to change the interval of how often you are notified by the BeReal app.
Depending on the user's location, the notification intervals vary. ⏲
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How do you delete a BeReal?
BeReal only alows posts to be viewed for one day, so your past posts can't be viewed by others.
However, if you’ve posted a BeReal you aren’t happy with and want to delete it, thankfully you have options.
If you are an iPhone user, go through the Options menu under your post. Tap the time it was taken and select Options. You can then select “Delete my BeReal.”
Android users can do this by viewing their post, tapping the dot menu in the top-right corner and selecting “Delete my BeReal.”
Be warned: You can only delete one BeReal a day.
If you decide to repost after deleting your BeReal, and you’re not happy with your subsequent post either, you won’t be able to delete it.
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