What is Vero and why is everyone talking about it?

It seems new social media app Vero is all anyone is talking about - but what makes it different? (Photo: Shutterstock)It seems new social media app Vero is all anyone is talking about - but what makes it different? (Photo: Shutterstock)
It seems new social media app Vero is all anyone is talking about - but what makes it different? (Photo: Shutterstock)

Social media platform Vero is suddenly the talk of the town, but what is it, and what makes it different to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram?

What is it?

Described by the company as 'True Social', Vero ('true' in Italian) claims to "make sharing online more like real life".

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Users can follow others on the app (such as brands or celebrities), or connect with the people they know. You must assign your connections to one of three categories - Close Friend, Friend or Acquaintance.

Those on the platform are encouraged to post about everything from photos to their current favourite music, and the idea is that users will connect over shared interests, as well as discovering new films, places and concepts through their connections.

How does it work?

You can control who sees your posts on Vero, by making them visible to only Close Friends, or opening them up to everyone on the app.

The search page allows users to find people and hashtags, as well as media that has been shared with them by their friends.

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Posts made by those you follow are filtered into your 'Collections' feed, and sorted into categories, from photos and videos to books.

There is also a notifications page and a 'Chat' section, similar to private messaging on other social media platforms.

The developers intend for users to be able to listen to music or buy products without leaving Vero, but there are no advertisements built into the app.

Ultimately, it seems that users will be asked to pay for Vero in order to keep it free of adverts, but the company are currently promoting the app as free for the first million users.

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Vero has experienced some teething issues after mass downloads in recent days

Where did it come from?

The company actually began to develop Vero in 2014, but it has gained a great deal of traction online in the last few days.

How is it different to other social media platforms?

According to Vero, their lack of adverts means that the app doesn't need any algorithms, and doesn't take any data from users.

In theory, this means that those on the app will see more of what their friends are posting, and less of what the platform thinks they should see - something Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have all been criticised for meddling with.

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What are the downsides?

The sudden increase in interest has sparked mass downloads of Vero, overwhelming the network and resulting in issues with the functionality of the app.

Vero currently has an average review of 2/5 stars on the App Store, with many users stating that they like the app in concept, but that it needs improvements.

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