At the end of each year, Apple selects the best applications among its users. This 2022 the palms of “iPhone Application of the Year” went to BeReal, the new social networking app allows users to post a timed photo per day.
The tech company awards a host of apps each year to “honor excellence in innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design.”
This year’s winner, BeReal, is an app that is generating a lot of traction among Gen Z for being the anti-Instagram. The platform sends a ping (“It’s BeReal time”) to its users at a prescribed and variable time of day, and asks them to take a photo with the front and rear cameras. The idea is that they are candid, real photos without poses.
“BeReal gives users an authentic look into the lives of their family and friends,” Apple said in a press release.
Where did BeReal come from?
BeReal was launched in January 2020 by Alexis Barreyat, who once worked for GoPro. The company is based in France and has raised $30 million in Series A capital.
It is not very clear how BeReal monetizes its service, since the app is free, has no ads, and the company does not plan to work with brands.
The company hasn’t shared download numbers publicly either, but previously told Greenhouse that it has more than 10 million daily active users.
“BeReal will not make you famous, if you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram,” the company says in its fact sheet.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.