Instagram’s latest feature test is about being BeReal
If a new social media feature is introduced, it’s an unwritten law of the internet that Instagram will duplicate it. The most recent instance is a BeReal clone feature that pushes users to upload candid images within two minutes on the Meta-owned social network.
“IG Candid Challenges” were detailed in a snapshot of the feature shared by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi. One of them showed receiving a message at any time of the day and having two minutes to take and upload a photo, a format popularised by the rapidly expanding social network BeReal.
By participating in the challenge, the original poster may add these contributions to their own Instagram stories, according to Paluzzi’s screenshot. Although the company’s most recent experiment could seem to be an expansion of its existing collaborative Stories tray with “Add your sticker,” the description closely resembles BeReal’s primary feature.
The trial is “an internal prototype and not tested externally,” the business informed Engadget. Instagram has been contacted by us to get more information on its plans for public testing.
It’s obvious that the social network is interested in seeing whether it can reproduce some of the factors that have contributed to BeReal’s current success, even if the feature doesn’t make it to the broader user population in its present form. The “Dual Camera” function, which combines photos from the front and rear cameras, was introduced last month.
Instagram has a history of stealing features from other popular applications like Snapchat and TikTok, and many people believe that as a result, the programme has become bloated and complicated. Users often criticise the app’s feature decisions and algorithms. In a move that mirrors TikTok’s method of displaying material, the firm was forced to scale back its algorithm-heavy feed in July, which displayed more recommended content than content submitted by your friends.
BeReal is the topic of many tech talks, but according to statistics from Apptopia, the app has only had little more than 43 million lifetime downloads. Comparatively, Instagram apparently has more than 2 billion active users per month (not downloads). There isn’t yet any direct competition, but the Meta-owned Corporation likely intends to eliminate any danger before it grows into a major social network.
