A student walks into the lunchroom and hears a PING. Everyone pulls out their phones and takes a picture at the same time.

BeReal is a relatively new social media app released in 2020, but started to trend in 2022. The app notifies users typically once every 24 hours to take an unfiltered picture and share it with friends. BeReal has been hitting the top of the “Most Downloaded Apps” chart. Every user receives a notification at the same time and has a two-minute window to snap a flick of what they are doing at the moment. The result is a dual picture using both the front and back camera, capturing both sides of the phone. 

Students at NYHS are calling BeReal creative and connecting. “BeReal is a more personal and creative way of connecting with friends, unlike Instagram, which is known for being artificial,” says Ruben Owen, a sophomore. The app is known for not allowing any filters or photos previously taken in order to capture the authentic moment. The app allows users to retake the picture in the span of two minutes but will let other users know how many times it has been retaken. The app limits users to deleting the post two times, the second time you can’t post anything for the rest of the day. If a user misses the notification, there is an option to post late, however, other users will be notified you posted late. 

“BeReal shows more of what you are doing and shows your surroundings, unlike Instagram or TikTok where it’s more fake,” says Keira Birk, a freshman. 

Despite the current popularity of the app, NYHS students don’t believe this app will last very long. “I think BeReal made an impact in social media because other apps have been trying to knock it off but I don’t think it will last a long time,” says Birk.