How to Protect Your Privacy on BeReal in 2026 (Post-Voodoo Guide)

To protect your privacy on BeReal in 2026, immediately disable location sharing on your posts and at the OS level, turn off the new Nearby feature that broadcasts your area to other users, set posts to Friends Only (not Discovery), and revoke ad-tracking consent. BeReal is now owned by Voodoo and monetizing with in-app ads and location-based discovery — the defaults share more of you than they used to.

What Changed at BeReal Under Voodoo

Voodoo acquired BeReal for €500 million in June 2024 and has since added paid user acquisition, in-app advertising, and growth features like Nearby (location-based discovery of other users) and interest-based recommendations. That has meaningfully expanded what BeReal collects and who your posts can reach if you never touched the defaults.

What BeReal Knows About You in 2026

BeReal's current privacy policy allows the app to collect:

• Personal identifiers: Name, email, phone number, and date of birth
• Precise location data: Longitude/latitude coordinates accurate to the square meter when location sharing is enabled
• Device data: Device type, operating system, IP address, and app usage frequency
• Content and activity data: Every photo you take, comments, reactions, and engagement patterns
• Third-party tracking data: Cookies and trackers used for ads, expanded since the Voodoo acquisition

BeReal's Terms of Use also grant the company a free license to your content for 30 years, allowing it to reuse anything you upload for three decades. That alone is reason to be thoughtful about what you post.

Essential BeReal Privacy Settings to Change Right Now

1. Turn Off Location Sharing on Posts

This is the single most important privacy change you can make on BeReal.

1. Take your BeReal photo as usual
2. Before posting, look for the location icon at the bottom of the screen showing your current location
3. Tap the location icon
4. In the Location Settings menu, select Location off

Also revoke location permissions at the device level. On iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → BeReal → Never. On Android: Settings → Apps → BeReal → Permissions → Location → Don't allow.

2. Turn Off the Nearby Feature

Nearby is BeReal's location-based discovery layer added under Voodoo. It surfaces your account and area to nearby users you have never met.

1. Open BeReal and go to your profile
2. Tap the Settings gear icon
3. Open the Privacy section
4. Toggle off Nearby (and any related location-based discovery options)

3. Set Posts to Friends Only, Not Discovery

Always confirm your audience is set to My Friends Only before posting.

1. When composing your BeReal, look for the Friends icon to the left of the location icon
2. Make sure it is set to My friends only
3. If you accidentally posted to Discovery, tap the three-dot menu on your post and select Remove from Discovery to pull it from the public feed while keeping it visible to friends

4. Review and Trim Your Friend List

Since posts in Friends Only mode are visible to everyone on your friend list, audit it now:

• Go to your profile and open your full friend list
• Remove anyone you do not know personally or no longer want to share with
• Be cautious about accepting friend requests from people you have not met in person

5. Disable Activity Status

BeReal can show other users when you are online. Turn it off:

1. Open BeReal and go to your profile
2. Tap the Settings gear icon
3. Find the Privacy section
4. Toggle off Activity Status

6. Refuse Ad Tracking Consent

Since the Voodoo acquisition, BeReal now runs in-app ads. Privacy rights group noyb has publicly criticized BeReal's tracking-consent pop-ups as manipulative dark patterns. When the tracking prompt appears, tap the Reject or Decline option — do not tap through Accept just to get past it.

7. Control RealMoji Reactions

RealMojis are BeReal's signature reaction selfies. They generate extra photos of your face stored on BeReal's servers. Be mindful of when and where you use them, especially on public Discovery posts where strangers may see your face.

Lock Down Your BeReal Account

Privacy settings only matter if your account cannot be taken over. Take these steps:

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) in Settings → Security
• Use a strong, unique password — do not reuse it anywhere else
• Check active sessions and terminate any unfamiliar devices; change your password if you find one
• Verify your linked email and phone number so you can recover access if needed

Be Thoughtful About What You Capture

No setting can protect what you voluntarily share in your photos. Before hitting share:

• Scan the background for visible addresses, license plates, mail, computer screens, or other sensitive information
• Avoid posting from sensitive locations like your front door, workplace entrance, or children's schools — especially if location or Nearby might still be on
• Watch captions and tags that reveal specific details about your routine, address, or schedule
• Remember the 30-year license — anything you post could theoretically be reused for three decades. If you would not want it on a billboard, think twice

GDPR and Tracking Consent (EU Users)

Privacy rights organization noyb filed a formal complaint against BeReal alleging manipulative consent-prompt design pressuring European users into ad tracking. If you are in the EU, take your time on the tracking pop-ups and reject tracking — you have the right to decline and still use the app.

The Bigger Picture: Data That Escapes BeReal

Even with perfect BeReal privacy settings, personal information you share on social media can end up on data broker sites, combined with public records, purchases, and other feeds to build detailed profiles anyone can buy. Your name, location patterns, photos, and social connections are all valuable to data brokers.

PrivacyOn closes this gap by automatically removing your personal information from 100+ data broker sites, monitoring for re-listings, and alerting you to new exposures on the dark web — starting at $8.33/month. While you control what you share on BeReal, PrivacyOn handles the data that has already leaked into the broker ecosystem. Run a free PrivacyOn scan and protect the personal data that BeReal's settings alone cannot reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BeReal still safe to use in 2026?

BeReal is safe to use if you tighten its defaults: turn off location sharing on posts, disable the new Nearby discovery feature, set audience to Friends Only, decline ad tracking, and enable 2FA. Under Voodoo, BeReal has added more data-collection and ad-tracking surface, so the defaults share more than they used to — but the app is not inherently dangerous once you take five minutes to lock it down.

Does BeReal share my location?

Yes, by default. Precise longitude/latitude coordinates are attached to your posts if location sharing is on, and the Nearby feature can also surface your account to other users in your area. Both settings ship on and must be manually disabled — do it before you post anything.

Does BeReal sell my data?

BeReal's privacy policy allows sharing personal data with advertising partners for interest-based ads, and third-party trackers expanded after the Voodoo acquisition. Whether you consider that "selling" depends on your jurisdiction's legal definition — in California under the CCPA, it likely qualifies as a sale or share. Use the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information option and reject the ad-tracking prompt.

What is the BeReal Nearby feature and how do I turn it off?

Nearby is a location-based discovery layer added under Voodoo that surfaces your account and location to other BeReal users in your area. Turn it off in Settings → Privacy → toggle Nearby off, and revoke BeReal's OS-level location permission for good measure.

How do I delete my BeReal account and data?

Open the app → Profile → Settings → Account → Delete my account. BeReal will confirm and process the deletion, which typically takes 30 days. Under GDPR and CCPA, you can also email a data-deletion request — see our data deletion request letter guide.

Does deleting BeReal remove me from data brokers?

No. Deleting BeReal only removes data BeReal itself holds. Your name, address, phone number, and relatives may still appear on 100+ people-search and data broker sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, and BeenVerified. A dedicated removal service like PrivacyOn is the practical way to clear that broader footprint.