TikTok is discontinuing its BeReal clone called TikTok Now, as confirmed by notifications sent to users. The announcement comes approximately nine months after the launch of TikTok Now, which aimed to facilitate authentic and spontaneous connections on the platform. However, the format of TikTok Now closely resembled BeReal, a popular app from the previous year.
TikTok Now allowed users to capture a moment once a day using both front and back cameras, supporting both photos and 10-second videos. While TikTok Now was available in the main TikTok app in the US, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, also released a separate TikTok Now app in other regions.
Although TikTok’s notification does not provide a specific reason for the discontinuation, it appears that BeReal has experienced a decline in popularity. According to third-party data cited by The New York Times, BeReal witnessed a 61 percent drop in daily active users between October 2022 and March 2023.
User numbers reportedly decreased from around 15 million to under six million people in March, as per Apptopia. Despite BeReal’s claim of having over 20 million daily active users worldwide, mentions of the app on social media platforms have become less frequent, indicating a shift in the viral spotlight.
TikTok is not the only social media company that has experimented with incorporating BeReal-style features into its platform. Snapchat introduced a dual-camera feature in August, offering more editing and layout options compared to BeReal.
Instagram has also been testing its own version called “Candid Stories.” These imitative features, referred to as “murder clones” by some, reflect the efforts of dominant social media apps to emulate unique features from potential competitors in order to retain their user base.
