“Being real is more important than being popular – Christie Brinkley”

Being real and authentic is essential in this digital world. While social media have taken over the world and become an integral part of our lives, it is also making us live in a “fake world”. BeReal came into the market in 2020 with a solution and instantly became a hit for its unique concept, making people wonder ‘how does BeReal make money’ without any ads. Statistically, the BeReal app was at 920,000 users per month in January 2022 and rose to a whopping 73.5 million by August 2022, witnessing a rise of 7400% approximately.

This is the power of a USP in an already dominating market. Although the market is already dominated by players like Instagram and Snapchat, there is a lot of scope left. If you are someone who wants to launch apps like BeReal, this is a perfect time to launch. The article covers the topic, how to build social photo sharing apps like BeReal, its app development cost, BeReal business model, and the pros & cons of the app, along with a guide on how mobile app development companies in India develop such social media apps.

What is a BeReal App? – The Viral Photo Sharing App

BeReal is a well-liked and creative social networking site that gives users a special opportunity to interact and share experiences with their peers. Founded in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau, BeReal was developed with the goal of encouraging real conversation among users.

BeReal business model stands out from the crowd because it promotes real, unedited versions of people, encouraging users to share one raw photo with friends every day at a random moment.

With the removal of filters and photo-editing options, the app has become quite popular and currently has millions of users worldwide.

Apps like BeReal – Market Stats & Facts

• BeReal has raised about 90 million US dollars across two funding rounds
• BeReal is a top rated social media app with 4.8 & 4.6 stars rating on App Store & Play Store respectively
• As of January 2024, BeReal has over 23 million active user base
• BeReal is popular among teens and youth, with 98.3% users between 16-44 years of age
• In September 2022, BeReal was the most downloaded iPhone app globally (14.7 million downloads)
• BeReal has over 100 million downloads as of January 2024 globally

How does BeReal Work? – A Guide to the BeReal App

Overview – Apps like BeReal will notify you every day with a “Time to BeReal” prompt to snap a picture in the allotted two minutes. The platform will snap a photo of you and your life at the same time using the front and rear cameras. Since these prompts are arbitrary, you might receive one at 11 a.m. tomorrow if you receive one at 5 p.m. today.

Why?Naturally, it would not be real to prepare yourself and your surroundings for the photos beforehand.

Retake is Possible –

If you decide you don’t like the first BeReal, you can retake it, but the app will let your friends know how many times you retake them.

Your friends will be notified if you publish something longer than two minutes because it can indicate that you moved the location or took some time to appear decent.

Respond to Friend Photos with ‘Real’ Emojis –
You can use RealMojis on the app to respond to your friends’ BeReals. To record your response, though, you’ll need to snap a photo of yourself rather than just typing a bunch of unspecific emoticons.

For example, you can take a photograph of your face appearing like you’re laughing by clicking on the laughing-crying RealMoji when your buddy shares a humorous photo of their cat. In a similar vein, you can respond to an image and strike a thumbs-up if you enjoy a message.

Pros of BeReal App – Why BeReal Became Popular?

Authenticity

The Company’s motto of launching the BeReal app was to encourage people to bring authentic and unfiltered versions of their life without any editing. The app creates a genuine social media experience as it doesn’t allow users to prepare for photos or editing.

Easy UI/UX

The BeReal app makes sure that the user is navigated through the whole journey seamlessly. The app design is minimalistic and comes with limited but engaging features for users. You can create an account on the app within a few steps, start adding new friends, and start your Real journey. Hire app developers with an experience in UI/UX to get the work done faster.

No Ads

BeReal platform doesn’t rely on ads as of now and is free to use for all users currently, making it accessible to a wide user base. No advertisement means the company will not sell your data for marketing purposes to other companies and you will not receive frustrating apps. This has also led many people wondering, ‘How does Bereal make money?’

Cons of BeReal App – Why BeReal Popularity is Falling?

FOMO

BeReal wants users to take and post a real time picture within a two minute window, creating a sense of fear of missing out (FOMO). The platform users have reported feeling anxious and left out also in case they were not able to post the picture within the time frame.

Apart from this, users are also pressurized to post something entertaining or ‘watch worthy’. But unfortunately, no one is doing something interesting all the time.

Oversharing

BeReal wants its users to take impromptu pictures of their lives, no matter where they are or what they are doing. This can lead to oversharing or exposure of confidential information to other people. Further, you can also not choose who will see your picture, as it is posted in public and can be seen by anyone.

Parental Control Required

The BeReal app is creating a negative impact on the mental health of children rather than a positive one. Although the platform is 13+ but there have been instances of kids putting different DOBs to access the app. Parental control and restrictions are required from the app side to control the behavior. You can ask mobile app development companies to integrate parental control functionality within the platform for better control.

Basic MVP Features for Social Photo Sharing Apps like BeReal & Instagram

User Registration

A user must either establish a new account or log into an existing one in order to use the application. Users typically have a variety of login choices to select from, including social media, email, phone number, and Apple ID. The Firebase authentication mechanism is frequently used to integrate sign-up and log-in features within applications.

Push Notifications

For a social media app such as BeReal, push notifications are essential. This is the precise message that alerts users of the time when they have to snap their daily shots. Push notifications should be included rather than standard in-app ones because few users will be accessing the app frequently.

In BeReal, a user has two minutes from the time of the notification to capture the moment. If not, the app will classify their photo as visible but delayed.

News/Post Feed

The news or post feed is the centre of any social media application. Since the feed on this app only contains photos from users who have been added as friends, this screen is known as My Friends in BeReal. In social networks, it’s a common practice to arrange feeds such that only posts from users you follow are visible.

Comments & Emojis

Users can comment, react, or share any photo to express their opinions. These may just be text messages, emoji-filled selfies, or Realmojis. Since BeReal is the only app with the Realmoji function, it is best to create your own unique method of responding to posts if you wish to incorporate a similar feature in your app.

Photo/Video Uploading

The uploading of a photo is the most important feature of BeReal and all other photo-sharing apps. In order to ensure seamless operation, your application will make use of the camera API, which grants it access to the camera.

In essence, APIs are quick access points to features of any device. BeReal requests access to the front and rear cameras as any other social media app does. In order to enable users to share their photos with the world depending on their present position, geolocation API is also necessary.

Camera Access

Naturally, you need to make sure that your Bereal-like program requests authorization before using the user’s camera. It would be beneficial to incorporate the capability of capturing simultaneous photos using the smartphone’s front and back cameras.

Discovery

You can also view the photos of users who are close by. These people uploaded their photos to the internet so that anybody could see them using their geolocation. To give users this feature, mobile app developers will make use of APIs like maps and GPS.

iOS can use Apple MapKit, Core Location, and Google APIs. Android’s geolocation features are based on Google services, such as Google geolocation, Google locations, Google directions API, and Google distance matrix.

Memories

Even while the photos you capture using BeReal might be accessible practically instantly, there’s no assurance that they will remain online indefinitely. Similar to Instagram’s stories feature, users may look back on previous posts in BeReal’s memories area.

Since many people solely use their social media accounts to keep track of their memories, being able to archive images is essential. As a result, cloud storage is necessary to enable users to store and access their photos. For example, you could select the cloud platform offered by Amazon Web Services.

How does Bereal Make Money? – Is it Profitable

BeReal is not generating any revenue out of its huge user base currently. The company is running fully on the funding capital raised by investors for operations, marketing, and employee salaries.

Like many of the social networking apps that came before it, such as Facebook, Snapchat, Clubhouse, and Yik Yak, BeReal’s founders have also chosen not to monetarily support the app in its early phases.

The idea behind the tactic is to get as many users in the shortest amount of time. It is considerably simpler to implement revenue after BeReal has become ingrained in the user’s daily routine.

BeReal has raised about 90 million US dollars across two funding rounds

Potential Monetization Strategies for Social Media Apps Like BeReal

Subscription Model

BeReal may also decide to implement a paid subscription service for its users. Customers who subscribe to a monthly or annual plan can access unique content and additional services. In addition to offering a revenue stream, this would encourage users to upgrade their accounts and improve their overall app experience. BeReal can investigate various subscription levels in order to accommodate varying user budgets and tastes.

The company needs to determine a price range and the features it would provide to the subscribers. Assuming users are on board; this might result in additional methods for users to engage with their friends’ posts on the app and an all-around enhancement of the user experience.

Selling User Data

To generate revenue for themselves, a lot of tech businesses keep or sell user data to outside parties. Snapchat, for instance, gathers your personal information for marketing purposes and other uses by third parties.

As of right now, BeReal’s Privacy Policy prohibits the company from selling user data to third parties for profit. This might alter, though, if the business decides it wants to start making money.

Given how contentious this practice is with consumers, it is less likely that BeReal will begin selling data, but if you use the app, you should clearly be aware of the possibilities.

In-App Advertisements

Ads in your home feed on other social media sites, such as Instagram or TikTok, are undoubtedly already noticeable to you. Similar advertising can appear on BeReal’s home feed in between the everyday postings from your pals. They would have a source of income to expand from as a result.

Ads can be bothersome, of course, but BeReal could easily incorporate social network ads within the app as most consumers are accustomed to seeing them there. However, BeReal has made it clear that it has no interest in collaborating with marketers.

How to Build Photo Sharing Apps like BeReal? – Step by Step Process

Step 1: Market Research & Goal Identification

This is the initial phase of creating an app similar to BeReal, where you have to describe the purpose and features of your app. Examine social photo sharing apps like BeReal features to find innovative functionalities that can be integrated. You may expedite the development process and improve communication with an Android application development business by putting your idea in writing.

Further, studying the target market, competitors, and industry trends is also a crucial element. Examine user reviews of BeReal or related apps to find out what features people would like to see added or new ideas that should be developed.

Step 2 – Hire A Mobile App Development Company

Once you are clear with the project goals and have done thorough market research, it is time to look for experienced and trustworthy mobile app development companies in India for the development of a successful app. They will ascertain the team required to develop apps like BeReal.

These teams often include an iOS or Android developer, a project manager, a front-end specialist, a back-end engineer, a UI designer, a QA specialist, and an iOS or Android developer. It is also crucial to analyze the company’s expertise in the latest tech & tools.

Step 3: Build A Project Scope

In order to develop an app similar to BeReal, you need to concentrate on working with a business analyst who may assist in developing a thorough project scope during this stage. The business analyst can either be provided by hired mobile app development companies in India (if they really care about their clients) or you need to hire them from freelancing sites.

The features, user flows, and technical details of the apps should all be covered in this project scope document. It enables you to convey your needs to on-demand app development service providers more clearly.

Step 4: Application UI/UX

Your future app needs to be easy to use and have a pleasing appearance in order to gain popularity with users. A well-designed interface and seamless navigation are essential components for creating an application that will be enjoyed by everyone.

In order to create a user interface that is both aesthetically pleasing and intuitive, you must collaborate with UI/UX designers at this step of developing apps like BeReal. Make sure the design enhances the user experience and is in line with your brand. Provide design files and prototypes to any hybrid mobile app development companies in India to make sure the final product reflects your vision.

Step 5 – Application Development

You won’t get very far with an app that looks good but has poor functionality. The development stage is a crucial step and careful consideration is required to develop all features and build APIs that will enable the third-party connections your project requires.

You can divide the project using an agile development methodology into sprints that are backed by feedback cycles. This enables the gradual implementation of functionality during the development process, allowing for modifications and enhancements.

Step 6 – Testing & Deployment

You need to thoroughly test every feature of social media apps like BeReal in order to find flaws that can be fixed later. Obtain feedback from beta testers so that we can make necessary modifications. Maintain regular contact with mobile app development companies in India so that you can quickly address any difficulties that may come up and produce a polished final product.

Once the testing is done, it is time to deploy the app on Google Play and the App Store. Put in place strong security measures and keep an eye on performance after launch. Create a marketing plan to advertise your app using influencers, social media, and other channels. Use user analytics to gain experience monitoring engagement and making improvements to updates.

How much does it Cost to build Apps like BeReal?

The average app development cost for developing an app like BeReal or any other social media app depends upon several factors. Some of the most important factors include the app design, functionality, number of platforms & systems, app developer location & price, and app complexity. An accurate way is to consult top mobile app development companies in India and explain your requirements. To help you today, here is the cost to build social media apps like BeReal based on complexity –

Final Thought – Build an App like BeReal

So, this was all about the social media app like BeReal development. The social media industry has heavy competition with key players like Instagram, Snapchat, etc. already dominating the market. This makes it a little difficult for new apps to sustain & grow without any USP. People are still wondering how does Bereal make money and honestly, the company has not revealed any plans yet. It takes good brainstorming sessions and market research to find a market fit. You can refer to the article to build an app like BeReal which was launched recently among all the dominance and went on to gain millions of downloads.
Further, you can also consult the industry experts here for Free consultation and discuss your project.

Apps like BeReal – Top FAQs

How to Build Social Media Apps Like BeReal?

The process to build a social media app like BeReal requires extensive market research for your target audience, planning a roadmap along with the features required, hire app developers with similar experience, and then coordinating with the team to build a robust app.

Why is BeReal Popular?

BeReal became popular for its authenticity and encouraging people to share their genuine side. The app facilitates people to post their photos within a 2 minute time frame, without any filter or editing. The authenticity led to BeReal become highly popular among youth & teens gaining millions of followers within months.

How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Like BeReal?

The app development cost for an app like BeReal ranges between $10,000 and $50,000 based majorly on the complexity required. The cost comprises the backend development, frontend development, app designing, testing, and maintenance. However, we suggest you to consult some top mobile app development companies in India to get the exact quote based on your project needs.

How Long Does It Take To Build An App Like BeReal?

The average time to build apps like BeReal is 4 to 6 months however the time taken can go up or down both, based on your individual requirements. The time is influenced by the hired mobile app development companies in India, the complexity of the app, the number of platforms, the design, and other functionalities. It can go as low as 1 month and can go over a year too.

How Can You Monetize an App Like BeReal?

Although BeReal has not started generating any revenue yet but there are several monetization strategies that apps like BeReal can use. Some of the BeReal business models will be sponsored content, brand partnerships, data selling, in-app ads, and subscriptions based models.

What are the Features of an App Like BeReal?

Some of the must have features in social media apps like BeReal include post feed, push notifications, personalized settings, memories, archives, comments, likes, emoticons, signup, camera, discovery option, etc. You can also consult top mobile app development companies in India to understand the latest social media app features.

How does BeReal make money?

Currently, BeReal doesn’t have any revenue sources and has not revealed any plans to monetize the platform as of now. The app is currently operating and paying salaries out of the funding investments. However, the company has to figure out some BeReal business models to sustain in the long term.

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