How to Protect Your Privacy on BeReal

BeReal markets itself as the anti-Instagram, a social media app built around authenticity rather than curation. But that spontaneous, unfiltered approach comes with real privacy risks. From precise geolocation tracking to a 30-year content license, BeReal collects more data than most users realize. Here is how to protect yourself while still enjoying the app.

What BeReal Knows About You

Before adjusting your settings, it helps to understand what BeReal actually collects. According to the app's privacy policy, BeReal gathers:

• Personal identifiers: Your name, email address, phone number, and date of birth
• Precise location data: Longitude and latitude coordinates accurate to the square meter when location sharing is enabled
• Device data: Your device type, operating system, IP address, and app usage frequency
• Content and activity data: Every photo you take, comments you leave, interactions with other users, and engagement patterns
• Third-party tracking data: BeReal uses cookies and third-party trackers for advertising purposes, particularly after its 2024 acquisition by French publisher Voodoo

Perhaps most concerning is that BeReal's Terms of Use grant the company a free license to your content for 30 years, allowing it to reuse anything you upload for three decades. This alone is reason to be thoughtful about what you share.

Essential Privacy Settings to Change Right Now

1. Turn Off Location Sharing

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"

You should also revoke location permissions at the device level for extra protection. On iPhone, go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Location Services, then BeReal, and select "Never." On Android, go to Settings, then Apps, then BeReal, then Permissions, then Location, and select "Don't allow."

2. Set Posts to Friends Only

BeReal lets you share posts with just your friends or with the broader Discovery feed, which is public. 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

3. Review and Limit Your Friend List

Since your posts in "friends only" mode are visible to everyone on your friend list, it is worth auditing who has access:

• Go to your profile and review 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

4. Disable Activity Status

BeReal can show other users when you are online. Turn off your activity status to prevent others from tracking your usage patterns:

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

5. Control RealMoji Reactions

RealMojis are BeReal's signature feature, reaction selfies taken in real time. While fun, they generate additional photos of your face that are stored on BeReal's servers. Be mindful of when and where you use them, especially if you are reacting to public posts where your RealMoji face may be seen by strangers.

Protect Your Account Security

Privacy settings only work if your account is secure. Take these steps to prevent unauthorized access:

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Go to Settings and look for security or authentication options. Enable 2FA using your phone number or an authenticator app
• Use a strong, unique password: Do not reuse your BeReal password on any other service
• Check active sessions: In your account settings, review which devices are logged in. If you see an unfamiliar device, terminate that session immediately and change your password
• Verify your linked email and phone number: Make sure the contact information on your account is current so you can recover access if needed

Be Thoughtful About What You Capture

No privacy setting can protect information you voluntarily share in your photos. BeReal's spontaneous format encourages you to post quickly, but take a moment before hitting share:

• Check the background of your photos 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 sharing might still be on
• Be careful with captions and tags that reveal specific details about your routine, location, or daily schedule
• Remember the 30-year license: Anything you post could theoretically be used by BeReal for three decades. If you would not want it on a billboard, think twice about posting it

Understand the GDPR and Tracking Consent Issue

In late 2024, privacy rights organization Noyb filed a formal complaint against BeReal alleging the app uses manipulative design patterns to pressure European users into consenting to ad tracking. If you are in the EU, pay close attention to tracking consent pop-ups and do not feel pressured to tap "Accept" quickly. You have the right to decline tracking and still use the app.

The Bigger Picture: Your Data Beyond BeReal

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

PrivacyOn helps close this gap by automatically removing your personal information from 100+ data broker sites. While you control what you share on BeReal, PrivacyOn handles the data that has already leaked into the broker ecosystem, working continuously in the background to find and remove your profiles, monitor for re-listings, and alert you to new exposures on the dark web.

Take control of your full digital footprint. Get started with PrivacyOn and protect the personal data that social media settings alone cannot reach.