How To Use BeReal – A Complete Guide

So, you’ve heard about this cool new social media app called BeReal and would like to test it out. But before you start, you may wonder what this new concept is all about and how you can use it. Luckily, we’re here to explain it all to you.

This article shares everything you need to know about the new app. You’ll learn how to create and set up your account, create stunning real-world emojis, and much more. Without further ado, let’s dive right in.

What Is BeReal?

BeReal is a social media app launched in 2020 by Alexis Berreyat. Although it originates in France, the app is mainly popular overseas, especially among U.S. college students.

The app reached worldwide popularity after viral TikTok videos started referencing it. At the time of writing, BeReal ranks 1st on Apple App Store’s Top Charts for Social Networking and has been downloaded more than 20 million times.

The main feature of the app is a daily notification that tells users it’s time to share a selfie and a photo of their surroundings at a random time. The users have two minutes to share the photo, and the two-image collage gets created automatically from the user’s front and back camera.

The goal is to share random, ordinary daily life moments and get a more authentic sharing experience than on Instagram and similar platforms that focus on aesthetics.

How to Use BeReal – Step by Step Instructions

Using BeReal is relatively straightforward and doesn’t require any special effort. The process includes downloading the app, creating an account, and posting photos. You don’t even have to use an email address or set up a password.

Here is the detailed step-by-step instruction on how to download the app and set up your account.

1. Download BeReal from the App Store or Google Play, depending on your OS.
   
2. Open the app on your phone to install it.
   
3. Enter your name, date of birth, and phone number.
   
4. You’ll receive an SMS code on the phone number you just provided. Enter that code into the BeReal app to verify your account.
   • (Optional) Give the app permission to access your contacts. This is done so that you can connect with your friends already using the app.
     
5. Accept receiving notifications from BeReal. This is important if you want to post within the two-minute time limit every day.
   

Note that you can skip Step 5, as you can find friends on the app in other ways.

That’s it! You have now set up your account and will be taken to the screen where you’ll be prompted to upload two pictures – one from your front and one from your back camera. As you upload the images (you can hit the “X” button to skip this part), you’ll also get to see which of your friends are available on BeReal.

An important thing to note is that if you want to see other people’s posts, you need to publish a post beforehand. If you don’t feel like sharing what your day is like, then you can’t see anyone’s posts for that day either. This may seem like a downside to some, but it’s according to the app’s philosophy of creating a circle of people who share random moments from their lives with the community. If you aren’t willing to share, then, the app philosophy goes, you shouldn’t see others’ posts.

Take (or Retake) a Picture

As you first set up your account by following the steps in the previous section, you’ll be prompted to tap on the “Time to BeReal” notification that appears on your screen. Once you do so, the app will open your selfie camera view so that you can post a picture for your first BeReal post.

Taking a picture on BeReal is super easy. You just need to follow the steps below:

1. Position yourself in front of the camera and tap the shutter (it looks like a white circle) at the bottom of the screen.
   
2. When you’re done taking the selfie, the app will automatically switch to your back camera. Hit the shutter again to take a picture.
   
3. Tap on the lightning bolt if you need extra brightness.
   
4. Choose whether you want to share the post with just your friends or with the BeReal community as a whole.
   
5. Choose to share (or not to share) your geolocation.
   
6. Add a caption to your post once it goes live.
   

Since you take both photos in a matter of seconds, you may not be happy with how the pictures turned out and may want to retake them. You can do so by following the steps below:

1. Tap on the picture you wish to retake.
   
2. Hit the “X” button that shows in the upper right-hand corner of the picture.
   
3. Take a new picture.
   

As you take a picture, you’ll see the two-minute-timer running. This means you can take a limited number of retakes until it goes off.

Take Two Selfies

As you scroll your BeReal feed, you may notice some people sharing posts with two selfies. This is indeed possible if you’re fast enough to flip your phone immediately after taking the first photo. You may find it not so easy on the first try, but if you’re persistent enough, you’ll make it.

Do note that taking two selfies isn’t according to the app’s spirit, which tries to show where the user is when their selfie is taken.

Timing the Posts – What You Should Know

The company keeps the times at which the posts will be requested secret. This means there’s no way to find out when you can expect a notification. However, the app won’t ask you to send photos at night or outside what is considered “waking hours.” The app uses your phone’s time zone to calculate the time, so you’re highly unlikely to receive a notification at two in the morning.

Not Posting to BeReal on Time

When you receive a notification to upload a picture on BeReal, you’ll only have two minutes to take two photos. This can create a sense of urgency to take the photo right away. But even if you don’t react to the notification immediately, you can still post later. Whenever you launch the app after receiving the notification, the two-minute timer will start.

The only difference is that your post will say, for example, “30 minutes late” if you were a half-hour late in submitting.

Post Expiry Date

All posts on BeReal have a 24-hour expiry date. This means that the post you share will only be available to your friends on their news feed for 24 hours. Of course, if someone shares your post hours after you posted it, it will remain active on their profiles for the 24-hour period after they reposted it.

BeReal also has a separate section called “Your Memories,” where you can access all your past posts. Only you can see this part and can scroll through it horizontally to browse your past images.

Additionally, you can save your posts to your phone gallery, share them by email, or forward them via another social network.

Exploring RealMoji

RealMoji is the most popular way to react to other people’s posts. It’s super simple to use it:

1. Open the post you want to react to.
   
2. Hit the reaction button from the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. You’ll see a strip of emojis.
   
3. Tap on the desired emoji. A selfie camera view will appear.
   
4. Take a selfie and try to mimic the expression from the emoji.
   

A great thing with RealMojis is that you can use the same reaction for future posts as well. But whenever you want to post a new, authentic reaction, you can do so by following the steps above.

The app supports all standard emojis available on your keyboard. You can also simply share an emoji without having to create and send one using your facial expression.

Screenshot Notifications

If you’re concerned that someone will be notified if you take a screenshot of their post, it’s worth knowing that it’s possible to see this type of information. However, doing so isn’t as simple. In fact, the app doesn’t immediately tell you who took a screenshot of your post. To find out, you must share your post on another social media site, through email, or in any other way.

Pro Tip: There’s an easy workaround to avoid sharing your post with others. Instead of sharing it on Instagram, you can send your post to an email address you don’t use often or send it as a file to yourself. The app only needs you to complete the action from its share menu, and it doesn’t care which option you select. The result will be the same, and you’ll see who took screenshots of your posts either way.

Deleting and Reporting a Post

If you don’t like your post, you can delete it by following the steps below:

1. Open the post you want to delete.
   
2. Hit the three dots at its bottom to get more details.
   
3. Hit “Delete.”
   

If you post on the Discovery feed, you can always remove your picture, so it’s only visible to the people on your friends list.

Similarly, if you wish to report a post on BeReal, you can follow the steps below:

1. Hit the tree dots next to the post you wish to report.
   
2. Hit the “Report” button at the bottom of the options list.
   
3. Flag the post as inappropriate or undesirable.
   

Time to Get Real With BeReal

BeReal is a refreshing addition to the social media network platforms that doesn’t focus on posing and making your feed aesthetically perfect like Instagram. The aim is to share random daily moments with your friends or the community and show life as is.

Thanks to the detailed guide above, you can now download the app on your phone, set up your account, and start posting. You can now also share RealMojis on other people’s posts and even take two selfies if you’re up for the challenge.

Do you prefer BeReal or Instagram? How do you think BeReal will change the way other popular social media networks are used? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.