Has BeReal had its moment?
According to new data, the number of people downloading the French social media app has slumped from 12 million last September to just 3.3 million in January.
Daily active users have nearly halved to 10.4 million.
The downward trend starkly contrasts its success last year when it raced to 50 million downloads and was named Apple’s iPhone app of 2022.
So, what’s changed?
Its stripped-down feature set and focus on authenticity are now wearing thin with users who once embraced it for those very reasons.
BeReal owed its surge in popularity to a then-unique feature that only allows users to share content during a two-minute window, which occurs randomly each day.
These spontaneous snaps were a breath of fresh air for people tired of overly edited and post-processed photos on platforms like Instagram.
However, many users believe the novelty has worn off due to the mundane nature of the documented tasks.
One user, Meg, states: “I mean, how many times can I take a photo of me at my desk doing boring work?”
Another user, Amellie, says others are circumventing the two-minute window to post images that show off their lavish lifestyles.
It appears that once a new social media platform gains traction, many of the learned behaviours that are present on rival apps begin to emerge.
However, while active user numbers have fallen, all is not lost just yet.
BeReal is still valued at around $600m and was hailed as a success story only a few months ago.
Its creators responded to the recent dip by claiming they aren’t “tethered to metrics” like followers and downloads.
The decline does raise questions about how the platform will need to evolve in the future to remain relevant.
Loyal users say they love using BeReal as a journal of life’s moments, even if they aren’t always exciting.
But with TikTok recently launching a feature called ‘Now’, which mimics the app’s functionality, BeReal might need another hook to reignite interest and regain its momentum.
