Meta is testing a new Instagram feature that is similar to BeReal. The feature, which is being tested internally, is called “IG Candid”, and was discovered by Alessandro Paluzzi.
BeReal is a social media app that is attracting a lot of users; and it is little surprising that Meta is already cloning one of its features. The feature being cloned by Instagram mirrors a BeReal’s element that prompts you to share an authentic photo at a random time each day.
A screenshot posted by Paluzzi described how the feature could work. The short description on the screenshot reads: “Add other’s IG Candid to your story tray. And everyday at a different time, get a notification to capture and share a Photo in 2 Minutes.”
BeReal is currently the number one free app in the iOS App Store. The app sends notification to users at a random time of day, allowing them two minutes to take both a rear-facing photo and a selfie simultaneously. The app, according to The Verge, uses a kind of format that encourages you to share authentic images from your day, rather than the kinds of curated content that Instagram is well-known for.
In a statement confirming the feature to The Verge, a Meta spokesperson Christine Pai, said “This feature is an internal prototype, and not testing externally.”
The statement simply means we might not be seeing the feature any time soon, and offers no assurances that it will be widely launched.
BeReal is not the first social media app that has attracted interest from Meta; Snapchat and TikTok have had some of their popular features copied by the company in the past.
In 2016, Instagram launched a Snapchat-like feature called “Stories.” The launch was the company’s big step towards boosting its growth rate and give its rivals a run for their money. “Stories” encourage users to post stories about their lives as often as they could.
Instagram’s CEO Kevin Systrom didn’t deny the fact that Stories was taken out of the books of Snapchat. When asked to confirm if that was the case, he said: “They deserve all the credit”, insisting that “This isn’t about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it,” per TechCrunch.
