Instagram Might Be Rolling Out A BeReal Competitor Soon

Over the last few years, social media users have found the fun in being ultra candid online. Whether in the form of blurry photo dumps or in-the-moment snapshots once a day on the BeReal app, social media is no longer just a place for posed, edited, and effortful posts. BeReal especially has become popular — in July 2022 it was the number one app on the Apple store — for the way it encourages users to shed the filters for spur-of-the-moment posting. Now, Instagram is following in its footsteps and testing a new “Candid Stories” feature, the brand announced on Dece. 13.

For those unfamiliar with BeReal, it’s a photo-sharing app that prompts users once a day with a notification telling them that it’s “Time to BeReal.” Every user gets the notification at the same time and then has two minutes to post a photo that captures their front and back camera simultaneously. In theory, a successful BeReal post shows your face and what you’re doing at that given moment. When you don’t post within the two-minute time period, your BeReal friends get a notification that you posted late — a sign that you maybe weren’t being as “real” as the app intends.

Instagram will soon roll out a similar feature known as Candid Stories, and here’s everything you need to know about the update, how to use it, and how it compares to the beloved BeReal app.

What Are Instagram Candid Stories?

According to the Dec. 13 announcement from Meta, Candid Stories will be “a new way for you and your friends to capture and share what you’re doing right now.” When the feature rolls out, it will prompt users with a daily notification reminder to post their Candid, and there will be an option to turn off the daily notifications if users want to opt-out. Candids that are posted will be viewable in the Instagram Stories feed and are only visible to other users who have already shared theirs.

How To Post An Instagram Candid Story

There will be several ways to post your own Candid Story, one of which is by clicking on the daily notification when it pops up on your phone — this will bring you to your camera and add it to the Candid feed once it’s taken. Other ways to add a Candid include capturing one from the Stories camera or clicking on the multi-author story, which will pop up next to your profile picture in the Stories feed and looks like a pink icon with a white smiley face.

It’s unclear if there will be a two-minute timer to snap a Candid just like there is on BeReal, nor has it been confirmed when the feature may launch. Until then, users can stick with BeReal for their daily prompted snaps and can keep an eye out for Candid when it hits Instagram. If the reactions are anything like those to the new Instagram Notes, you’ll surely hear about it as soon as it’s available.