[2][3][4] "Real Friends" was inspired by Cabello's dissatisfaction and loneliness from work-focused life in Los Angeles while she was finishing recording Camila.

[7][8][9] "Real Friends" is a low-key song characterized by a minimalist production, with an acoustic guitar as the main instrument and a solo pop handclap as percussion.

[19] "Real Friends" received media attention for its lyrics, which were speculated to be about Cabello's relationship with her former girl group Fifth Harmony.

[20][21][22] Cabello denied that speculation in an Access interview, saying that the song did not refer to anyone in particular but was about her lonely experience in Los Angeles while she was recording the album.

[24] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone called "Real Friends" Cabello's sparest song in comparison with her past work.

[26] Sam Lansky of Time cited the song and the "heartfelt" track, "Consequences", as "pretty" ballads which showcased Cabello's voice.

Notes On August 16, 2018, a reimagined version of the song featuring American rapper Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd was made available worldwide.

[4][2][57][3][58] Speaking with Rolling Stone, when asked of all the features he did, does he have a favorite, Swae Lee addressed that, I decided to work with Camila Cabello [on the reimagined version of “Real Friends”] even though that song went under the radar and they didn’t put the right push on it.