Instagram, and Meta in general, are absolutely no strangers to piggybacking on another social media app’s idea. Instagram stories came after Snapchat stories. Instagram Reels came after TikToks. And now, it seems the photo-sharing giant is coming for the newest player in the game — BeReal.
In case you are not using BeReal, it is essentially a platform that exists to specifically oppose Instagram. While the latter has seen a huge focus on the hyper-curation of content and trying to sell you things as much as possible, BeReal encourages users to, well, be real.
At a random time every day, users are sent a notification alerting them that they have two minutes to post a photo, using both their phone’s front and back camera, of exactly what they’re doing at that moment. It’s a lot of people on their computers at work, to be honest.
Now, Instagram is allegedly testing a feature that seems…almost identical to BeReal. As reported by Bloomberg, developer Alessandro Paluzzi shared an image of what appears to be the new feature, titled ‘IG Candid Challenges’.
A pop-up for the supposed feature instructs users to “Add other’s IG Candid to your story tray.” Then, every day, you’ll get a notification at a random time to post, using the front and back cameras. Sound familiar?
In a statement to Engadget, a spokesperson for Instagram said that the feature is nothing more than an “internal prototype” that isn’t being tested externally. We Got This Covered has reached out to BeReal for comment.
No word yet on whether this feature will ever be rolled out to the average IG user, but considering how shamelessly the company has delivered its take on original concepts ideated by its competitors, it seems like only a matter of time until we’re being real… again.
