While you were on a trip or vacation, have you ever wondered what your friends were doing while you were away? The social media app known as BeReal may be the answer to that question. BeReal was released in 2020, but recently surged in growth within 2022 because of its main feature. Being able to view a person’s life through a single photo is one of the app’s greatest appeals. 

 BeReal will send a notification to everyone that has downloaded the app at a certain time based on your location and time zone. This notification will give you two minutes to take a picture of what you are currently doing and upload this picture onto the app through using the front and back cameras, showing two angles of yourself and what you are looking at. From here, you could either have the option to post it to your friends and discovery page, or you could retake the picture in order to get one to your liking. 

Of course there’s a chance that you may not be able to take the photo within the two minute time frame. BeReal gives the user the chance to capture that moment despite having passed the two minute time frame and still allow the user to post it, but it will notify and show your friends that you have posted it later than when the notification was given.

If you don’t post your BeReal and open the app, then you are not able to view your friend’s BeReals until you post yours, no matter if it is late or not. This forces you to take the BeReal in order to see what others are doing during their photo and builds a sense of connection between the user and their friends that is added onto the app. 

There are different ways to post a BeReal onto the app. Posting it to your friends allows you to share it with the people that you follow on the app. You are also able to share your BeReal onto other apps like Instagram, or send it through text messages to let others see what you have posted onto the app without downloading it.

Another way is the discovery feature which allows you to post in your area. This feature on the app also allows you to see what people around you in the community are currently doing and gives an insight into others lives around you.

BeReal has recently had a surge in users this year with over 53 million installs across the world as of October 2022, with a majority of the installs coming from between May and October where the app only had 7.67 million installs. The growth originates from the uniqueness of the app in allowing users to live up the name of being able to be real and true with others, sharing their memories and experiences with others when the daily notification pops up. BeReal gives others the chance to be real with their friends and show who they really are.