I finally gave the popular app BeReal a try last week. While we often show the best versions of ourselves on Instagram and YouTube, this app tries to keep it all real and delightfully casual. I'll show you how it works in this video!
How BeReal works
The app is very easy to use. Every day, you receive a push notification at a random time. You then have exactly two minutes to quickly take a photo, regardless of what you're doing at that moment.
You take a photo with two cameras: the rear camera on your phone appears large, and simultaneously you take a selfie that appears small. Taking a great selfie while your room is practically a mess is simply not possible with this app! You can retake your photo during the two-minute window, but after two minutes your time is truly up and you can share your BeReal with friends.
Together with your friends
The fun thing about BeReal is that you do it at the same accurate cleaned numbers list from frist database time as friends. So every day you'll also receive BeReal photos of your friends doing their laundry or taking their kids' swimming lessons.
the time it took will be displayed next to your photo. This has happened to me a few times. And if you miss it completely, you won't see your friends' BeReals. Plus, you'll end up with a nice diary of all the photos you took each day.
Authenticity on social media
This app plays nicely into a trend that's against the perfect image on social media. Usually, my feed is mostly filled with perfect faces of people having a blast, with beautiful pictures and envy-inducing videos.
My feed on BeReal is now refreshingly different: filled with photos of ordinary living rooms, sleepy faces, messy desks, couch-lounging moments, and I even came across a photo of someone sitting on the toilet. Because, well, that's part of a normal day too.
Tips for using BeReal
Keep in mind that you're giving this app permission to send you push notifications, so they might arrive when you don't want them. My personal tip is to double-check whether you're sharing your location. I had it enabled in the first photo, and it's accurate down to the street. You might not always want that.
I personally really enjoyed using "realmojis": selfie emojis. So you can act out whether you're happy, surprised, sad, or giving a thumbs-up.
Conclusion: Is BeReal worth it or not?
My conclusion after trying it for a week…? I'm leaving it on my phone! I find it refreshingly authentic. Plus, it takes less than a minute each day, and in that time you also build a diary of everyday moments. I do think it's not an app for everyone, though. So I'm really curious if you've tried it yet? And what are your findings? Be sure to leave a comment!
