TikTok is discontinuing its BeReal Clone, TikTok Now, just nine months after launching the feature.
Multiple users, including social media consultant Matt Navarra, have reported receiving a message within the TikTok app outlining its imminent closure.
The notification urges users to continue sharing memorable moments via videos, photos and stories instead.
It’s a swift demise for a feature once hailed as a new and exciting way to make “authentic and spontaneous connections” on the platform.
However, that was back in late 2022, when BeReal was having its breakout moment.
BeReal looked set to shake up the often-staid social media landscape with its once-a-day notifications asking users to share unfiltered snaps.
But TikTok’s fledgling French rival has lost traction since then.
So much so that The New York Times offered a typically pithy conclusion recently that people are “over being real”.
It’s hard to argue with that statement, as reports claim daily active users plunged 61% to less than 6m in March.
TikTok Now was launched mainly as a reaction to BeReal’s initial success.
The ByteDance-owned app did offer a slightly different spin on things by allowing users to share 10-second videos.
However, with BeReal’s viral moment fizzling out, it’s probably no longer feeling the heat of competition and is happy to shutter the feature.
TikTok is also likely to end support for the dedicated TikTok Now app, which launched in select regions globally.
While a death knell has been sounded, there is no indication yet when exactly TikTok Now will go away for good.
