Is it time to BeReal once more?
In 2022, the photo-sharing app surged in reputation, received Apple’s “App of the 12 months,” and even earned its personal SNL skit. As soon as a day, at a random time, customers had been prompted to publish an image of no matter they had been doing. With a 2-minute timer and one shot to make it rely, the app’s premise was to seize actual moments in actual time.
However like most viral sensations, the novelty wore off. Downloads dropped, utilization stagnated, and in 2023, the app was bought to French gaming firm Voodoo for €500 million.
Now, BeReal desires a second likelihood.
At Cannes Lions this 12 months, Managing Director Ben Moore shared the corporate’s comeback plan. “Now we have folks which might be dedicated to constructing the subsequent massive factor with BeReal,” Moore advised Enterprise Insider. “We will make one thing that actually solutions the calls for of Gen Z, who’re sick and uninterested in the filters, of the lenses, of the social strain of posting one thing that’s not going to get them the extent of views and likes they’d need.”
Moore claims the app nonetheless has round 40 million energetic customers, primarily in Japan, France, and the U.S. In 2023, worldwide downloads totaled an estimated 31.5 million, which dropped 60% year-over-year to 12.7 million in 2024. Based on Sensor Tower, year-to-date downloads are down 50% in comparison with final 12 months.
For its relaunch, BeReal is attempting to win again customers by investing in promoting, totally on different apps owned by Voodoo Video games. The group can also be hoping to generate buzz by micro ambassadors on faculty campuses and by sponsoring events the place entry requires downloading the app.
They’re giving the app a facelift too, with new options like “close by,” which lets customers uncover others of their space, and recommendations for individuals who publish comparable sorts of images. “We actually wish to deliver again the social side of what social media was constructed for,” Moore mentioned.
However BeReal’s magic wasn’t in its options. It was within the cultural second—a collective pause from the algorithm for a fleeting sense of connection (even when it was only a selfie at your desk 4 days in a row).
Can lightning strike twice?
