BeReal’s 2022 Recap Feature Has A Long Waiting List
Screenshot via BeReal
It’s the time of year when people get contemplative and look within… by turning to social media. Joining Spotify and Instagram’s year in reviews, BeReal—the latest big social network—has launched its own recap feature to highlight users’ unfiltered moments.
2022 has been an explosive year for this previously unknown app. BeReal launched in March 2021 with only 10,000 users; as of October this year, however, it’s amassed 20 million daily active users. The platform consistently tops app store charts. Not only that, but it’s also been named by Apple as the top iPhone App of the Year and has been hailed by Google Play as the user’s choice app of the year.
To pander to its growing fanbase, BeReal has rolled out a 2022 Recap feature that compiles all the snaps users have taken this year. The option will be available through January 2023.
@bereal 2022 RECAP IS NOW AVAILABLE #fyp
♬ original sound - GrandPeachEdits
Users can access this update by heading to their profile, tapping ‘View all my memories’, and selecting the sparkle icon on the bottom of the screen. This will prompt the ‘Generate my 2022 video recap’ button to appear.
When they’ve seen their montage, users can also share it with their friends.
Strangely enough, although the feature has been offered to many users, some people have found themselves added to a long waitlist alongside thousands of others.
HUUH THERES A WAITLIST TO GET MY BEREAL RECAP pic.twitter.com/A9hcOvjino
— ðŸ³ðŸ¥žðŸ§ƒðŸ‡ (@1982GRAPEJUICE) December 15, 2022
It’s giving them Ticketmaster flashbacks, say some.
i want my bereal recap or i’m buying tickets on ticketmaster????? pic.twitter.com/JaD7Th6FZq
— romy🇫🇷 (@gslyloml) December 15, 2022
all i can imagine is sweaty guy locked away in a dark room editing everyone's bereal recaps one by one pic.twitter.com/lg8lBHYT0q
— Toby (hates elon musk) (@tobyp_nyc) December 16, 2022
As it seems, BeReal year-end videos are made to order. This is in contrast to similar features by other social networks whose recaps are available before users even request them.
The wait isn’t so bad for many, who will receive their clip in a couple of minutes. Others will have to minimize the app until a notification comes in saying that their year-in-review is ready.
For some BeReal users, though, the results aren’t worth their patience. Users have pointed out how simple BeReal recaps are in comparison to others they’ve seen this year.
Just like the app, the montages are pretty minimalist, and are simply sped-up rewinds of every single BeReal post made by the user in 2022. And there’s no music. The feature is far from the personality-based overviews of Spotify Wrapped, which looks back on the year using personalized statistics. Even Instagram’s 2022 Recap Reels let users choose a template to narrate their Reel with.
BeReal recap hyped us up for nothing. Just a fast forward video of all my BeReals. No music, no cool and funny stats, nothing, kinda failed.
— anastasίa loves rina (@panellhnies) December 15, 2022
“Disappointing… I was so hyped up,” remarks one user.
the only reason i've still had bereal downloaded was because i was hyped for my 2022 recap but turns out it was just THIS??? i could've made this when i was twelve bruh it doesn't even have music
— mace 🦦 (@maceydilello) December 15, 2022
goodbye bereal, you were fun for a solid few months 🫡 pic.twitter.com/OtZgk0GT1s
Fans have been drawn to BeReal for its no-frills, no-filter nature. Often regarded as the “anti-Instagram,” BeReal forces users to stop what they’re doing at a randomly-selected time of the day and snap a photo from both sides of their smartphone cameras within two minutes. They cannot edit their pictures or upload something from their camera roll, so curation doesn’t exist on the app.
these 2022 bereal recaps be like 😠pic.twitter.com/1MzvCyKXqq
— trevor ✨💘 (@ariestrevor) December 20, 2022
Everyone’s BeReal recap pic.twitter.com/hNHUVj2GjD
— Mistletony (@AntMelia94) December 16, 2022
[via PetaPixel and Distractify, cover image via BeReal]
