waitedA BeReal alternative for sharing photos with friends
Updated
In short waited is a BeReal alternative for people who want to pick the moment. On BeReal, everyone posts at the same time, when the app says so, once a day; on waited, you send a photo whenever you want, to the friends you want, and they’re the ones who wait, unless they take on your challenges. And in a group, waited has its moments: everyone posts a photo whenever they like, and it all opens once the last one is in. End-to-end encrypted, view once by default, no ads.
waited and BeReal, side by side
| Feature | waited | BeReal |
|---|---|---|
| When you post | Whenever you want, as often as you want | Once a day, when the app asks: 2 minutes to post, otherwise the photo is marked “late” |
| To see your friends’ photos | Wait for the countdown to end, or take on the challenges; in a group, post your own: the moment opens once everyone has posted | Post your own photo of the day |
| Challenges | Yes, written by the sender | No |
| Who sees the photo | The friends you pick each time you send | All your friends; their friends too if you choose, depending on the country |
| What happens to the photos | View once and automatic deletion (7 days by default) | Archived in your Memories, visible to you only |
| Screenshots | Blocked by default | Possible |
| End-to-end encryption | Yes, on the phone | Not specified |
| Ads | None | Yes, since 2024 |
| Minimum age | 16 | 13 |
Comparison made on October 4, 2026 from BeReal’s help center, terms of use and announcements, which may change; “not specified” means the information isn’t public. BeReal is a trademark of its publisher (Voodoo group); waited is not affiliated with it.
What’s different with waited
- You pick the moment: no notification setting the time, no photo marked “late”.
- Your friend is the one who waits: the photo arrives locked by a countdown, and your challenges let them unlock it sooner.
- You pick who: the photo goes to the friends you select when you send it, not to your whole list.
- Nothing sticks around: view once, screenshots blocked and automatic deletion by default, instead of an album of memories.
- The group’s moment, with no set time: everyone has 24 hours (or 48 hours, or 7 days) to post their photo, whenever they like; nobody sees anything until everyone has posted.
When BeReal is still the better pick
To see every day, at the same moment, what all your friends are up to, unfiltered, BeReal invented the genre and does it well. And if you like finding your photos of the day in a calendar of memories, that’s BeReal too. waited is for something else: sending, whenever you want, the photo worth the wait.
Other apps like BeReal
- Locket: your photos show up on your close friends’ home screen. See waited or Locket.
- Snapchat: photos that disappear once viewed, but also public content and ads. See waited vs Snapchat.
- Instagram: the “Close Friends” list keeps a story to a few people, inside a public social network.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an app like BeReal without a set time?
Yes: on waited, you send a photo whenever you want, and your friend waits for the countdown to end, unless they take on your challenges to unlock it sooner. In a group, everyone posts their photo for the moment whenever they like, and they all open once everyone has posted.
Is there a more private alternative to BeReal?
waited sends each photo only to the friends you pick, end-to-end encrypted, view once and with screenshots blocked by default, then deletes it automatically. No public content, no ads.
Can I use waited and BeReal at the same time?
Yes: BeReal for the shared everyday moment, waited for the photos worth the wait.
Sources
Want to try it?
waited is free, on iPhone and Android.