Snapchat launches a twin camera option akin to BeReal

Snapchat is expanding its primary camera with a new feature that allows users to record photos and videos with both the front- and back-facing cameras on their phones at the same time.

The dual camera capability was first revealed in April as part of Snapchat’s upcoming director mode, which will provide users with access to a broader variety of creative tools. The twin camera capability is coming to Snapchat at the same time as BeReal, the nostalgia-tinged picture-sharing app that uses both cameras is breaking into the mainstream.

BeReal’s popularity stems in part from its limited feature set and the mundane nature of what users see when they launch the app. It only allows photographs, has a single picture arrangement, and no editing tools are included. BeReal’s version is more comprehensive than Snapchat’s. Users may, for example, choose between various alternative layout choices, such as windows stacked vertically, side by side, the image in the picture (the most comparable to BeReal), and cutout. Users will also be able to add lenses, stickers, and music to material taken with the dual camera configuration, according to Snap.

The dual camera is now available on iOS, with Android to come in the coming months.

Other sites have rushed in to capitalize on BeReal’s popularity. Leaks this week revealed that Instagram was testing something called IG Candid, which supposedly invites users to take a photo with both cameras at a specified time of day, similar to BeReal. Meta said that it was merely an internal test.