This Time Instagram is Cloning Something from BeReal

Instagram is determined to stay at the top in the cutthroat world of social media. The platform previously tried to revamp its Feed similar to TikTok’s ‘For You’ Page and now is testing a feature found in BeReal.

Meta has revealed that it is internally creating a new Instagram feature that looks remarkably similar to BeReal, a prominent social networking app. The “IG Candid” function, uncovered by leaker Alessandro Paluzzi, is similar to BeReal in that it encourages users to post one actual picture at a random time each day.

“IG Candid” in the Testing Phase

According to the leaked screenshot, users may add other people’s IG Candids to their story tray. And receive a notice every day at a different time to snap and share a photo in 2 minutes.

That’s basically precisely how the BeReal experience is supposed to function for the uninformed. The program, which gained popularity last month and is presently the №1 free software in the iOS App Store, sends users a message at a random time of day, allowing them two minutes to snap both a rear-facing shot and a selfie at the same time. It’s a structure designed to promote the sharing of genuine photographs from people’s days, rather than the meticulously manicured stuff that Instagram is renowned for.

Meta confirmed that the IG Candid function is being tested. “This is an internal prototype that is not being tested externally,” stated Meta spokeswoman Christine Pai. This implies that there is no set schedule for when the functionality will be made accessible to the public, if it ever does.

However, considering how Meta and other social media companies have reacted to other successful applications over the years, it seems reasonable to predict that if BeReal’s popularity persists, Instagram will ultimately respond and try to clone it. After all, when Snapchat’s Stories feature became popular, Instagram launched its own Stories feature, and Reels is a natural reaction to TikTok’s success.

Meta isn’t the first tech titan to have released a murder clone or two. YouTube Shorts is just another obvious effort to capitalize on the popularity of vertically shot short-form video, and Twitter was quick to launch Spaces in reaction to Clubhouse’s success.

And the Cloning Saga Goes On….

It’s not the first time Meta has been accused of imitating BeReal. Around the time BeReal started gaining popularity, it extensively pushed out a new feature called Dual, which enables you to snap photos or videos with both your phone’s front and back cameras at the same time. People were quick to point out the BeReal parallels, but Dual differentiates in that it allows you to record information anytime you choose, rather than waiting for a daily notice.

However, one former Instagram product designer claims that the Dual feature had been in development for many years and that its debut around the time of BeReal’s meteoric rise was merely “convenient.”