TikTok has been accused of copying a feature from the nascent social media app BeReal in order to make its reels more appealing to its teen audience, according to multiple reports. This feature is similar to Snapchat's, but users will receive daily prompts to post 10-second videos or instant photos using a smartphone's front and back cameras simultaneously.
BeReal's Hit Real-time Snap Prompts TikTok to Launch Similar Feature
Because of its features that appeal to the trendy millennial, BeReal is expected to top most app charts well into 2022. The reason is very apparent. Every user in this app will assume they are a part of a single community because the BeReal app will send notifications when everyone should upload. It is really similar to classroom roll calls, except instead of saying 'present,' you snap the best candid selfie you can at the moment.
This feature is unquestionably revolutionary for social media apps. The app's real-time and trendy sense of community entices most Millenials and GenZs. With that said, its predecessors, massive social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, are now attempting to clone the concept.
TikTok is currently the fastest-growing social media platform, but the Chinese app appears to be betting on its users' desire for a feature similar to BeReal. TikTok has recently added a feature that allows you to take impromptu front and back camera photos at the same time. TikTok hailed this new feature as TikTok Now.
BeReal Is Taking Ground in the App Store
According to the Washington Post, the move comes after Instagram confirmed it is working on a similar feature called IG Candid Challenges and just weeks after Snapchat debuted its own dual-camera mode. The Internet's largest platforms are currently involved in the real-time snap craze. Can we anticipate Twitter or YouTube following suit?
According to the BBC, the BeReal app is viewed as an alternative to the filtered and curated feeds that are commonly associated with social media. Since it was launched by a small French company of the same name, the app has grown rapidly.
It is currently ranked seventh in Google's overall App Store downloads chart, trailing TikTok, ranked first. TikTok has nearly a billion more downloads than the app, so it has much catching up.
BeReal has shown in recent months that any app creator with a promising concept can rise to the top of the Internet echelon. This also demonstrates that many social media users prefer apps that reflect authenticity over algorithm-driven trends.
Alexis Barreyat, a French developer, launched the app in January 2020. BeReal didn't become a massive platform overnight. It took two years for the platform to reach the top of the app store. This year, the app has received nearly 60 million downloads. More than the numbers, BeReal's success is reflected by other platforms' imitation of the app.
