After less than a year, TikTok is ditching TikTok Now, its own take on BeReal launched in September 2022. The decision comes amidst stiff competition from apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and, obviously, BeReal, from which the whole concept started in the first place.
You’re probably familiar with the concept of BeReal by now. As opposed to staged Instagram photos, BeReal encourages you to snap random, genuine photos using both their phone’s front and back cameras. The aim was to provide a real-life look into what friends are up to each day. The concept quickly gained traction, although people quickly started staging BeReal photos, too. But that’s another story.
Anyhow, in response to the growing popularity of BeReal and its concept, TikTok jumped on board with its “Now” feature last year. However, it seems the “Now” feature didn’t hit the right note with users, leading to its retirement.
“We’re updating the TikTok experience and are discontinuing TikTok Now,” TikTok writes in a notification to users. “Users can see their previous Now posts by navigating to Profile > Private Tab > Now Memories, but they won’t be able to create any new Now posts.”
TikTok is killing its BeReal clone TikTok Now pic.twitter.com/8uPn88HQV4
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) June 27, 2023
As TechCrunch notes, this TikTok’s decision could be an indication of decreasing popularity of BeReal-style apps and features. After all, it started to lose its point when people started staging “real” moments in their life. I’m curious to see how BeReal will develop from here on and whether it will survive. I’m not scared for TikTok for now, it’s still going strong with over 1 billion active monthly users.
[via TechCrunch]
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