Um, This Possible IG Feature Looks A Lot Like BeReal

Instagram might be rolling out a new feature soon. No, it’s not another feed test, but it might be just as controversial. According to a recent tweet from a mobile developer, Instagram could be looking at a new BeReal-type feature, called IG Candid Challenges — and there are a lot of similarities to BeReal, right down to a 2-minute warning. The new feature, which a Meta spokesperson says is a “prototype,” allows users to take and post an unedited photo at a random time each day. Sounds familiar, right? Here’s what you need to know about the new BeReal-eqsue feature on Instagram, how it compares to the OG, and when (or if) you’ll see it on your app anytime soon.

On Aug. 22, leaker and mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi, @Alex193a on Twitter, shared reported images of the new IG Candid feature, and it looks like the internal prototype has a lot in common with BeReal. According to the screenshots, the IG Candid Challenge alerts users at a random time each day that they have 2 minutes to snap and post a pic on IG Candid. IYDK, the BeReal app, which began making waves in 2022 after launching in 2020, is known for its random notifications and 2-minute posting windows. It also encourages users to post unedited, filter-free photos at different times each day, all of which seem to play an important role the IG Candid Challenge.

Does Instagram Have A BeReal-Type Feature?

Elite Daily reached out to Instagram to find out more about the possible feature and when the company began working on it, but the company is staying pretty tight-lipped save for confirming it’s a prototype. “This feature is an internal prototype, and not something we're testing,” a Meta spokesperson told Elite Daily in an email on Aug. 23.

The apparent screenshot of IG Candid also says you can “add other’s IG Candid to your story tray,” so you can see your besties’ candid moments — it’s unclear how the Story tray will operate and if it’ll be similar to current IG Stories, but it sounds like it might set apart IG Candid from BeReal. Instead of a grid or a Stories option, BeReal users only have a feed they can post on once a day before the post disappears.

In a second screenshot of IG Candid shared by Paluzzi, it appears the feature requires users to snap a front-facing and exterior-facing photo at the same time, just like BeReal does. Instagram has been testing a Dual Camera in IG Stories, so it’s not surprising the company brought similar technology to IG Candid, but it definitely will have users drawing BeReal comparisons.

Will Instagram Test IG Candid?

It’s unclear when (or if) the new IG Candid Challenge will be tested or rolled out since Meta is only referring to it as an internal prototype, but if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that the feature will definitely be divisive.

Twitter user @videogxrl expressed their frustration with the change, saying, “first IG became Snap with Stories, then became TikTok with Reels and now trying to be BeReal with candids … please just be your own app.” Meanwhile, user @MadisonCrossley expressed their disappointment by tweeting, “Instagram will do literally everything in their power to copy other platforms instead of [doing] exactly what we all want them to do.”

Instagram hasn’t hinted at rolling out or even testing IG Candid, so it’s unclear how or when you might see it.

Instagram has been dealing with its fair share of criticism from fans lately. First, it was the in-feed tests that altered photos and videos to fit the size of your screen — which thankfully has been halted for good — and then it was the Change.org petition to get Instagram to stop putting so much emphasis on Reels that caught the attention of the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.

With videos not going anywhere on your IG Feed, you might have to brace for the advent of BeReal-esque IG Candid Challenges. But with Meta staying very tight-lipped on any possible developments of the internal prototype, you may have a while before you have to decide if you’re ready to be “IG Candid.”