From Instagram to Snapchat, most social media apps are crammed full of heavily filtered photos showing people with seemingly smooth skin and perfect figures.
But a new app is breaking the mould with no option for filters – and it recently overtook Facebook for app downloads.
BeReal prompts users to take an unfiltered photo every day via the app's camera, which snaps a selfie and a photo using the rear camera simultaneously.
And rather than letting users endlessly retake their photos to catch their best angle, the app gives users just two minutes to get the shot.
MailOnline tested the app this week to understand why it's shot to the top of the UK and US app charts this month, overtaking popular apps including Facebook.
BeReal prompts users to take an unfiltered photo every day via the app's camera, which snaps a selfie and a photo using the rear camera simultaneously
What is BeReal?
BeReal was created in January 2020 by Alexis Barreyat, a developer based in Paris.
'Alexis Barreyat founded BeReal to stay in touch with his friends,' BeReal explained in a statement shared with MailOnline.
'It is a place where real life is captured, free from the need to create, cultivate and amass influence.
'By not focusing on followers, likes and filters, BeReal connects users with spontaneity and authenticity.'
The premise is simple - everyday at a different time, users are notified to capture and share a photo in two minutes.
Users must use the in-app camera, which simultaneously snaps a photo with the front and rear facing cameras.
Like other social media apps, you can follow friends and see their photos in your main feed.
Alternatively, you can search through a Discovery page, where you can explore photos taken by users you do not follow.
If you miss the two minute window, you can post late, but are unable to see your friends' photos until you post your own.
To react to friends' photos, users have two options – leave a comment by tapping the speech bubble on the photo or leave a 'RealMoji'.
As the name suggests, RealMoji are emoji featuring real faces, which users can snap on the app – again, with no option to use a filter.
How popular is it?
The BeReal app has stormed to the top of the charts in both the UK and the US, overtaking popular apps including Facebook.
According to data.ai, the app ranks 4th by downloads in the US, the UK and France for Q1 2022 after Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest.
Speaking to MailOnline, Lexi Sydow, Head of Insights at data.ai, said: 'BeReal is the latest innovation in social media — topping 3.2 million downloads worldwide in Q1 2022, up 373 per cent from Q4 2021, bringing its lifetime total to 5 million.
'Headquartered in France, BeReal has gained traction with French users, making up 30 per cent of its historical downloads. However, the app is catching on outside of its home market.'
The 16-24 age group dominates the app (74 per cent), while just four per cent of users are aged 45+.
BeReal was created by developers based in Paris and describes itself as the 'simplest photo sharing app'
'While Gen Z is 40 per cent more likely than the average person to use the app in the US, 55 per cent of its iPhone user base were actually millennials, followed closely by 43 per cent Gen Z,' Ms Sydow added.
'In most markets the app skews more female.'
Unsurprisingly, the app has suffered several teething issues amid the sudden surge in users, with many complaining of outages and slow upload times.
