What The Tech App of the Day: BeReal
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Tech Reporter
A few years ago, I was walking through Las Vegas when suddenly about 50 people all grabbed their phones at the exact same time and snapped a photo.
No warning. No posing. No retakes.
The reason was BeReal, a social media app built around a pretty radical idea for the internet: stop trying so hard to look perfect. For a while, BeReal was everywhere, especially among younger users tired of heavily filtered Instagram photos and carefully staged TikTok videos. Then the hype faded. The app struggled to turn popularity into profit, and many people assumed it was headed for the social media graveyard.
But BeReal didn’t disappear.
Now the app is making a comeback with advertising, new features, and a growing fan base looking for something social media hasn’t felt in a long time: authentic.
How BeReal Works
Once each day, everyone using BeReal gets a random notification telling them it’s time to post. Users only get a short window to take the photo. The app uses both the front and rear cameras at the same time, capturing what you’re doing
and your reaction to it in the moment. That means no carefully staged photos. No perfect lighting. No spending twenty minutes editing or deciding which picture to upload. And honestly, that’s the whole appeal.
Instead of polished vacation shots or influencer-style content, BeReal feeds are often filled with people studying, working, eating lunch, sitting in traffic, or just hanging out with friends. This time of year, a lot of the app is filled with graduation ceremonies, summer jobs, road trips, and everyday moments that normally wouldn’t make it onto traditional social media.
Why People Like It
One of the most interesting parts of BeReal is the memory feature.
As the year goes on, the app creates a timeline of your daily photos, giving users a surprisingly honest look back at their lives. Not just the highlight reel, but the random ordinary moments too. And those often become the memories people enjoy the most. In a world filled with filters, curated feeds, and polished content, BeReal’s biggest feature may simply be this: it feels human again.
BeReal is free to download and now earns revenue through advertising and sponsored posts.
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