On Thursday, Sept. 15, TikTok launched its new TikTok Now feature. The said feature is a copy of the popular app BeReal that invites users to take pictures of themselves and their activities at random times every day. 

TikTok Now is designed to capture authentic moments on camera and encourages sharing unfiltered photos. 

TikTok's Latest Feature

According to Mashable, the new feature will invite you and your friends to capture what you are doing using your smartphone's front and back camera. 

Like BeReal, TikTok Now will also send you daily notifications and give you up to three minutes to post the picture you've captured.

This is a minute longer than BeReal, which only gives its users two minutes to post on their social media accounts. 

BeReal's daily notification includes a warning sign with a line that says, "It's Time to BeReal." As for TikTok Now, its daily notification has lightning bolts with a line that reads "Time to Now."

The only thing differentiating TikTok Now from BeReal is that the new feature allows users to post 10-second videos. 

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In the US, to use  TikTok Now, download the TikTok app. Them, you can add your friends to view your posts. For other regions, the feature will be available soon via a separate app.  

Aside from TikTok, other social media giants are also launching their version of BeReal. Instagram is currently testing its version of the popular app, and Snapchat launched Dual Camera, which pretty much does the same thing. 

What is BeReal?

According to Pocket-Lint, BeReal is a simple photo-sharing app that prompts users to capture and share their unfiltered photos daily. 

Users will receive daily notifications and have up to two minutes to capture images and share them online. 

BeReal was founded in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau, and in the time since it was introduced, the app recorded over 10 million downloads and a valuation of $600 million. 

In April, the social media app saw a 157% increase in downloads, proving that it is gaining popularity. 

Privacy Concerns

According to TechCrunch, BeReal is battling with privacy concerns because if you don't turn your location off, you might accidentally share where you live with other people. 

Even though the popular app is only intended for your close friends, there is still a possibility that a stranger online will see your street address. 

With TikTok Now, it does not share your location and is not a part of the feature's interface. 

TikTok Now has its own privacy features, and if you are below 16 years old and register for the feature, your account will be set to private. 

Also, users must be 18 years old to share their BeReals and post their TikTok Now images and videos on their Explore Feed. 

For users 13 to 15 years old, only their closest friends will be able to comment on their posts.  

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Written by Sophie Webster