Earlier this week, Apple announced the winners of its annual App Store Awards. The awards highlight the company’s top apps on each of its devices as well as denoting the most downloaded games and apps from their app store in both the paid and free categories. This year, BeReal, a social media app that many considered to be a dark horse candidate, won the honor of Best App for the iPhone. Developed by French programmers Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau, BeReal is often called the anti-Instagram for its interest in providing users with an accurate portrayal of real life.
The app works by pinging its users at random times of the day and night with a notification of “Time to BeReal.” After this notification, users have two minutes to take photos using both their forward and back cameras. The photos are then shared with the users’ friends on the platform. Failure to post photos prevents users from seeing their friends’ photos. Users of BeReal say that unlike other social media apps, which present a glamorized view of the world, BeReal gives users a true indication of what is going on in their friends’ lives and allows them to get to know one another better. Although the app was launched in 2020, it did not gain widespread popularity until this year, when teenagers and young adults began using it in droves. In addressing BeReal’s placement as the top iPhone app, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said that BeReal and the award winners in other categories delivered new experiences for Apple aficionados. Cook adds that each and every winner had a major impact on the world and changed the lives of people across multiple communities.
Among other winners at the awards were MacFamilyTree 10, which enables users to create visual representations of their family tree, and Gentle Streak, a fitness app for the Apple Watch. This year’s awards also introduced a new category called Cultural Impact, which honors apps that have the biggest influence on the everyday lives of Apple users. Included among the Cultural Impact category was Locket Widget, an app which allows users to share photos with their family and friends in real time.
Dil Bole Oberoi
