In the past few months, the BeReal app has risen to fame. According to TIME Magazine, the number of times it was downloaded increased by 86% every month since June, for a total of 7.8 million users.  

BeReal is an app where every day, you will get a notification at a random time; the notification will say, “Two minutes left to capture a BeReal and see what your friends are up to.”

When you click on the notification, it will open your camera, and you’ll then take two pictures: one of whatever is in front of you, and a selfie. You have only two minutes to take both pictures before time runs out. If you don’t post your BeReal, you won’t be able to see what your friends have posted until you post. If you post late, your BeReal will say by how many minutes or hours you posted late, and your friends will also get a notification that you posted late. 

Many people downloaded BeReal this past summer and started using it from the end of July to the beginning of August. “I downloaded it in August because my friends said it started to become popular and it seemed like a cool app, so I definitely wanted to be a part of it,” Kayla Moreno said. “I posted on time more often when I first downloaded it, but lately I haven’t been on time. But I always make sure I post,” Moreno said. 

There is often a lot of controversy when it comes to deleting or not deleting your BeReal. On the app, you have an unlimited amount of tries to take your photo in the two-minute period, although it does show your friends how many tries it took you to take that picture. However, you can only delete your BeReal once a day after you have posted it. 

Many teens only delete their BeReal or save it if they remember that they are doing something more interesting later in the day. “I like the possibility that you can take it as many times as you want before you post it, even though I don’t delete it and then retake it later often. I like that I have the flexibility if I forget that I am doing something later with my friends that I can delete and then repost,” Lucy Miller said.