BeReal Review: Is This Social Media App Worth Using?

If you love social media apps, you may have come across one of the newest on the block - BeReal and wondered what it's all about. In this honest BeReal review, we're going to take a close look at this social media platform to see what it has to offer.

BeReal was launched in 2019, with its basic selling point being to share a genuine glimpse of your real life, minus the filters, with people you care about.

Every day, you'll get a notification from the BeReal app encouraging you to take a photo of what you're doing at that moment with your phone's back and front camera.

For a lucky individual on holiday, this could be showing them having fun sipping a cocktail by the pool, but for someone at work, this might be a mountain of paperwork!

While Bereal had a slow start, only reaching 500,000 active users in 2021, mainly in France, a huge marketing drive in the US and the UK worked, specifically targeting students and offering cash for referrals.

Bereal app downloads increased by 1,000%, and today, the social media app has over 23 million active users.

In this Bereal review, we'll take a closer look at:

• How it works
• The main features
• What makes it different
• Who should use it
• What to be aware of
• How to stay safe
• What people are saying
• Money making tips
• The best alternatives.

No time?

Download BeReal from the App Store or Google Play.

BeReal Review: How Does it Work?

At a random time each day, notifications will be sent out to BeReal users stating, ''It's Time to BeReal''.

Everyone gets the notification at the same time in your area, although the time will change each day.

When you receive this notification, you have 2 minutes to take a photo of what you're doing in that instant using the back and front cameras.

All photos should be unedited, unfiltered, and unscripted, although you can retake the photo as many times as you like within the 2-minute timeframe. Friends can see how many times you retook your photo.

You can also choose to share your location and add a caption.

Here are a few more things to know about BeReal:

• Images disappear from your account after 24 hours, but BeReal will save a photo album of your posts only available for you to see
• If you miss taking a picture in the timeframe, you can still take a photo, but BeReal will tag ''late'' on your account for friends to see
• You can opt for your BeReal photo to be published privately, for only friends to see, or publicly so other BeReal users can see. If you choose publicly, only other users who've also posted a photo will see
• Choose to pin up to three posts at the top of your profile, and you can use @ to tag others in your post
• You can't edit your photo, but you can choose to delete it by filling out a form giving a reason why
• Add friends to your BeReal account from your contacts list or by searching for usernames or friends of friends.

Best BeReal Features

Take a look at the best features that make BeReal stand out.

RealPeople and Real Brands

This feature allows you to search for and add some of your favorite brands and celebrities in a public feed.

Because of the authentic photos posted, you get to see who they are and what they do outside of the spotlight.

You can even work towards being a RealFan, which comes with extra benefits, and you can tag them in your BeReals, which may even get a share!

Real Fans

After you've added RealPeople and RealBrands to your account, it's possible to become a RealFan.

This happens after a certain amount of time tagging, reacting to, and sharing RealBrand and RealPeople posts.

After becoming a RealFan, you can:

• Unlock special content only shared with RealFans
• Increase the chances that your BeReal posts get shared by RealBrands and RealPeople.

Behind the Scenes (BTS)

The Behind the Scenes (BTS) feature allows you to share those few seconds before you take your BeReal photo.

This video will be captured by the first camera you choose to use for your Bereal, and recording starts as soon as you open your camera screen.

BTS is enabled by default, and you can preview the recording by long-pressing your BeReal.

The BTS can be disabled before you take your Bereal or deleted after your BeReal by:

• Tapping to view your BeReal
• Tap the three dots in the top right
• Click to ''Remove BTS''
• Confirm.

Friends

The BeReal app offers friend recommendations from the following:

• Mutual friends in common (friends of friends)
• Contacts uploaded to Bereal, which are matched to you.

You can view selected information of people in recommended lists, but you cannot see their phone numbers, BeReals, or memories.

If you DO NOT want your profile to appear in contact syncing, you turn this feature off in the privacy setting of your account.

Profile Options

Your BeReal profile can be customized in a few ways, including adding a profile picture and choosing a unique username.

Other options include:

• Memories. Your memories are a collection of old BeReal posts that can only be viewed by you. These can be shared, downloaded, or deleted according to your preferences.
• Pins. You can choose to pin up to 3 BeReals to the top of your profile, and these can be changed or removed at any time.

RealGroups and Streaks

RealGroups are a place where you connect with your friends and family to create and share private moments.

You can find RealGroups at the top of your ''Friends Feed,'' and you can access up to two groups at a time.

Group options include:

• Join a RealGroup
• Create a RealGroup.

Streaks are basically 5 or more BeReals posted consecutively.

Once you hit a streak, a flame icon will appear next to your profile photo alongside your streak score.

What Makes it Different from Other Social Media Platforms?

Bereal has a few differences from other social media platforms.

One main difference is that it's not algorithmic like Instagram, where you often get shown promotional videos from creators rather than content from your friends.

Other differences include:

• The focus is on friends, not followers. Other social media apps are built around rewarding those with high follower counts and engagement. BeReal is about connecting with friends and sharing real-life moments.
• No more edited, filtered pictures creating an unrealistic look. There is no option to add filters or edit your photos for BeReal, unlike other social apps. This makes it a better place for young people to stop obsessing about looks and trying to live up to unrealistic standards.
• The app celebrates being authentic and vulnerable. Unlike some of the glamorous influencer lives you see on Instagram, BeReal champions and celebrates people being their true selves.
• No private messaging function. This reduces the risk of young, vulnerable teens being messaged by strangers.
• BeReal doesn't try to keep you on the platform for hours. BeReal encourages users to show a life moment once a day and engage with friends' posts and doesn't bombard you with tons of marketing videos and ads that could keep you scrolling for hours.

Who Can Use BeReal?

You must be at least 13 years of age to set up a BeReal account.

If you're under the age of consent in your country, a parent or guardian must also give consent.

BeReal Review: What to Be Aware Of?

While Beral does have privacy settings, there are a few potential dangers that kids and parents should be aware of:

• Location sharing. Geo-location is already on by default. If someone doesn't know this, they risk sharing their location with strangers.
• Public posts. If you decide to post publicly, anyone can see what you post around the world.
• Showing your surroundings. BeRealposts uses the front and back camera, so you could potentially share something in your background you didn't want people to see.
• Inappropriate content. While Bereal has content filters and a reporting feature, there is always a risk that someone can share inappropriate content.

Is BeReal Safe?

It's important to take online safety steps to protect yourself and your personal information when using BeReal.

Here are the main privacy settings on offer:

• You can choose to keep your account ''Private'' so only friends see your content
• Turn off your location, especially if you use the ''Discover Page'', if you don't want people to know your location
• Use the ''Reporting'' feature if you notice any inappropriate content posted.

Bereal Review: What Are People Saying?

BeReal has a 3.7-star rating on Trustpilot; however, there were only 2 reviewers.

How to Make Money On BeReal?

I couldn't find much information about how to make money with BeReal, which says to me that not many people are making money with the app.

Plus, BeReal currently does not allow any in-app advertising, in-app purchases, or subscriptions, which limits how brands can make money.

However, some brands are using the app creatively to engage customers and drive traffic by sharing photos of discount codes and offering rewards for the first ''X'' number of people that engage with their content, for example.

If you want to make money from social media, it's best to set up a new account and experiment with content to see what resonates.

Here are a few ideas for BeReal:

• Brand Promotion. Many brands use BeReal to engage old and new customers. If you see a brand you love and use on the platform, you could reach out and try to set up an influencer-type deal, where you get compensated for posting content about their products (check our guide on how to become an influencer).
• Product Advertisement. You can share BeReal moments using a certain product you love and sign up as an affiliate to earn from this promotion.
• Sell your own products. If you create your own stuff, share BeReals showing how a product or service works. Remember to add a link somewhere in the shot so people know where to purchase.
• Collaborate with other BeReal users. Once your BeReal friend list grows, you may connect with someone who you can partner up with and promote each other's content.
• Promote your blog or online store. If you have a blog or store, follow other RealBrands and RealPeople in the same industry. Once you become a fan, they may share your content with people in your niche, which could help to drive traffic to your business.

Learn more in our guide on how to start a blog that makes money.

BeReal Review: Best Alternatives

While BeReal does have potential, there are many other great alternatives, such as:

LiveIn

LiveIn is an app where you can share unedited photos and videos with friends on their home screens without having to open the app.

You can also share pictures from text conversations and livestream what you're doing with friends in the moment.

Take a closer look at LiveIn.

PixelFed

PixelFed is an open-source photo-sharing social media app that's decentralized, so your data is not stored on the server.

A few of its popular features include albums, likes, comments, direct messages, and stories, and unlike BeReal, you have the option to add filters to your photos.

Take a closer look at PixelFed.

Locket Widget

Locket Widget is an app where you can share photos and create memories by creating digital lockets.

These lockets can be filled with photos, messages, and even doodles, and shared to your friends and family members' home screens.

Take a closer look at Locket Widget.

BeReal Review: Final Verdict

After reading this BeReal review, you can see it has a lot going for it by offering people a way to share real, unfiltered life moments instead of just focusing on looking perfect.

I think this is a great way to be social instead of just teaching young adults that they have to live up to impossible, perfect standards, as shown by influencers on some other apps.

It also seems that this social media platform is a largely untapped space for making money online, so if this interests you, it could be a great place to experiment with new passive income ideas.

Want more ideas to profit from social?

Learn about the easiest social media platforms to make money.

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