There are those who have completely cut themselves off from social media and those who download BeReal, a French anti-Instagram app that wants to improve your mental health, or at least protect it from the negative effects of screens. In April 2022, there were more than 7.4. millions to download the app. 65% did so this year when the app was only two years old and had just 10,000 users in January 2021. To end the time wasted on my phone and hundreds of photos Superficially advocating the Instagram algorithm, I left the American app for BeReal. The term is three months. An interesting experience, especially with the French app launched by Kevin Perrault, who went through Ecole 42 (Xavier Neil’s developer school). In hyper growth, I was able to trace the (timid) evolution of the app, my usage, and also son user acceptance. Without feeling overwhelmed or disgusted by the app, BeReal is clearly treading its own path that no competitor has yet taken. In my review of BeReal, I will detail three points important when using the app (and social media in general): my daily usage time, my mental health, and my entertainment. Other Presse-citron editors have joined me to share their views with you.
To end wasted time on my phone and hundreds photos superficially defended the instagram algorithm, I left the American application for BeReal
While no filter
Custom on BeReal wants to post photos every day. To do this, the app chooses to send you a notification at a random time during the day (it can also be in the evening, quite early). It is not necessary to observe the time of publication of the notice, but it is necessary to publish in order to be able to see photos shared by your friends. To see other people’s content, you must publish yourself. Between Instagram and Snapchat, the French app offers only one photo per day (this possible take back) and only in the form story (but delivered as a stream of scrollable content). He is not possible send a photo to a specific user as a message. At the time of publication, this possible it says to choose between spreading only to his friends or in public. Mode “public” is useless at the moment, but it looks like it will pave the way for popularity if influential accounts ever emerge from the app. No filter, currently capture A feature of the BeReal image manager is the use of both the front and the main camera. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid selfies early in the morning. The goal is to truly share everyday life without the glamor and staging. What’s more, while shooting, a 3-minute countdown starts to take a photo. A way to achieve authenticity, once again. The application still missed a small detail to play around with the codes and deliver. There is a slight delay between the snapshot of the main camera and the front camera. This little time allows you to play around with the selfie angle. If you take a low-angle photo with the main camera, you can view the angle of view immediately after pressing the button capture (the selfie photo will only be taken after one or even two seconds). © Lemon Juicer
Waiting for new friends … or not
For several weeks, BeReal gives us a glimpse into our lives. And beware, if you’re going through a period of routine, the app sends us a rather depressing image right in the face. To force always taking the same photo to describe our day, our everyday life becomes even more boring and on quickly catches himself asking himself the question: “Am I going to post a photo today or will I wait for a better day?”. Moreover, it is quite possible take a lambda photo to be able to consult photos others and then delete yours (even if the button is not easy to access the first time). The question of our friends list comes up very quickly. BeReal is based on the Facebook model, not Instagram, with the need for mutual following. When I started using the app, several of my contacts had an account, and I very quickly found myself alone, unable to view the content of others. So, I introduced myself with all my registered relatives and BeReal’s interest in keeping up to date with the daily lives of their next of kin, who we might be interested in going through the vacuum cleaner on Sunday morning. With a 315% year-to-date monthly active user growth, I see the app changing as more and more of my contacts join. To keep track of their usage, this was the way out or double. Some never stopped publishing, while others quickly fell into inactivity. And me, my interest in seeing more people there for less boredom has changed.
In my contacts it was a dismissal or double. Some never stopped posting, while others quickly fell into inactivity.
© Lemon Juicer
BeReal problem and my opinion
With a longer list of friends (on says twenty people instead of 3 when I signed up), my use of the app has changed, to the detriment of BeReal. Instead of finding more interest, now my restrictions on posting my daily life have been tightened. Too intimate to be seen by everyone, too boring to share… there are more and more reasons not to take a picture once… or always.
There are more and more reasons not to take a picture one day… or always
I wouldn’t mind the video mode. Maybe to be able to show more when I share a moment away from home. Or be more creative, more interesting. With its current formula, the use is very limited and can be reduced to providing news, and if he’s exaggerating a trait: say he’s alive. © Lemon juicer BeReal limited use son interface and son model. But in my opinion quite possible post the same content on Instagram (or Snapchat, for son see more off). On the other hand, BeReal’s real advantage comes in the form of screen time. We will not spend more than ten minutes a day on the application. I can’t anymore. As for the entertaining-fun side, everything will depend on your contact list and their life. Between photos poorly framed, taken without interest, than to respect the daily rhythm of entries and participants who, like me, find themselves forced to photograph the dead times of our days, it is difficult to show much interest.
A real shutdown does not entail a change to the application
And the problem may be this: wanting too much authenticity, BeReal forgot that our time spent on our screens was usually our downtime, our moments of calm and relaxation. The rest of the highlights and interesting moments to share will take precedence in Instagram stories. And if, like me, you prefer to delete Instagram, then it’s not for another application that you want to share your moments, but without a smartphone in it main. Because the real shutdown does not happen through an application change.
The opinion of the rest of the editors
Romain Witt, Head of Technology and Joint Ventures. I found BeReal’s promise on paper interesting: the network social a limitation that requires us to only share one content per day with important people. To be constantly connected to social networks, I saw there a way to relax by continuing to share photos with my relatives. Unfortunately, BeReal was not so attractive. If the promise is beautiful, the reality is quite different. First, because the application can quickly become aggressive if active notifications. Every day, on then gets a warning that we didn’t share our photo of the day. Then another one to let us know that our friends just posted them. Also, the application has the same limitations as most alternative social networks: on no one to be found there. Other than Hadrian (the author of this article), no one around me used the app. Thus the network social lose everything son character social so son original interest.
All your questions about BeReal
Who created BeReal? The founder of BeReal is Kevin Perrault, who joined Alexis Barreat to launch the app in 2020. How many users does BeReal have? In April 2022 7.4 millions people have downloaded the app worldwide, which is one of the top 5 most downloaded apps in the US App Store. The number of BeReal users is difficult to know, as a large number of users remain inactive after a certain discovery period. Who has invested in BeReal? BeReal has already collected more than 30 millions dollars in series A thanks to investment funds Andreessen Horowitz (A16z), Accel and DST. It is the only BeReal capital at the moment (which does not charge its users and does not broadcast ads). Where to download BeReal? BeReal is available on the App Store (iPhone) and the Play Store (Android). The app is only available on smartphones. Who is BeReal for? Unlike other social networks, BeReal has a model that young and old alike can enjoy right from the start. The app sits between Snapchat and Instagram with a format suitable for those who don’t want to spend too much time with their smartphone and want to guarantee the authenticity of the posts. What languages are available on BeReal? He possible use BeReal in French, English, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. What is the difference between BeReal and Instagram? Don’t rely on messages, stories, like nor on the BeReal follower counter. Unlike Instagram, you can also only post one photo per day and it won’t possible use filters or dig through its image gallery. Videos are also not supported by BeReal.
We love
Dramatic reduction in time spent on smartphones. Another way to get news and share it. No filters, goodbye superficial.
We love less
Very limited use Good app to find your disinterested life… Being able to make short videos will not be a rejection