BeReal, a social media app aimed at the millennial generation, has a framework that pushes its users to shoot a photo every day. However, fresh estimates from a third-party app intelligence firm suggest that just a fraction of the app’s users are really doing so. According to data compiled by Sensor Tower, BeReal is showing promising growth in a number of key areas. For example, the number of monthly active users for the app has increased by 2,254% since January 2022, and the number of times it has been downloaded from the App Store or Google Play has surpassed 53 million. However, as of the third quarter of this year, it found that just 9% of its current Android installations were really using the app on a daily basis.

Because many individuals may download an app only to try it out, then uninstall it if they don’t like it, active users are a more accurate measure of an app’s success than downloads.

Sensor Tower reports that BeReal lags behind dominant social media platforms in this respect. Currently, 9 percent of BeReal’s Android active installations (those who have downloaded and are using the app) activate the app on a daily basis. Not even close to Instagram or TikTok! While 39% of Instagram’s active installations use the app on a daily basis, just 29% of TikTok’s do. The next most popular social media platforms are Facebook (27%), Snapchat (26%), YouTube (20%), and Twitter (18%).

It’s possible that BeReal’s uptake on Android is slower than on iOS because the app is still relatively new on Android. This may not be representative of the app’s actual usage, as many of its new installations come from young people in the United States, where iOS is favoured.

The research also stated that BeReal has the potential to increase this metric since it has been steadily increasing its monthly active users. However, when asked about a specific number of MAUs, Sensor Tower declined but did confirm the 2,254% increase since January 2022.

For instance, 42matters, an additional mobile app research provider, predicted that BeReal’s Android MAUs will increase by just 633% this year, from 43,899 MAUs in January to 321,787 MAUs in August 2022. Given that September was a banner month for the app, which would have affected these predictions, and given that Sensor Tower had projected through September, the gap may be explained by the fact that Sensor Tower estimated through August.

Both companies were more in agreement with the total number of app downloads, with 42matters estimating that more than 51.1 million people had downloaded the BeReal app on iOS and Android, and Sensor Tower estimated that more than 53 million people had downloaded the app. The former also claimed that, as of recently, the app was averaging about 500,000 daily installations, with the United States contributing to that increase.

According to monthly Sensor Tower installation data, the United States consistently leads all other countries, with the United Kingdom in close second (except for September, when Brazil became the No. 2 source of new installs, with over 1 million downloads that month). Significant numbers of fresh installations were also witnessed in September, with 14.7 million downloads, up 20% from the 12.3 million downloads reported in August.

Although these numbers suggest that BeReal is graduating from “fad” status and becoming a regular part of some users’ lives, it has yet to prove itself as an app capable of driving as constant usage as its rivals. Also, it has to contend with imitation from other popular social media platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and most recently, TikTok.

Instagram began testing a BeReal clone, Dual Camera, in July, and a feature called IG Candid Challenges, which is very similar to BeReal, was tested in August. In August, Snapchat released a BeReal clone that, thanks to its Dual Camera, allowed users to take selfies from a number of angles. Since then, TikTok has released TikTok Now, an app that mimics the functionality of BeReal and is accessible as a separate product in most regions outside the United States.

Competition from these sources might slow BeReal’s expansion over time, but this has not yet happened.