ScrollControl: Screen Time

Most screen-time apps measure what you've used. ScrollControl measures what you've kept.

The moment you open a chosen scrolling app like TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, a mindful pause appears — a few seconds to ask if it's worth it. No blocking, no limits, no parental controls. Just a gentle interruption at the exact moment it matters, so you have real agency over the choice.

WHAT YOU GET

✚ TIME BACK — your saved scroll time, projected forward in months and years using waking hours only (16 of every 24). Updates from your real saving rate over the last 28 days.

⏸ MINDFUL PAUSES, NEVER BLOCKS — a short moment when you open tracked apps. Not a wall. Not a shame screen. Five rotating pause types so they stay fresh — breathing, stats, intention, nature, or "the pause."

💷 SEE WHAT YOUR TIME IS WORTH — set your hourly rate. Watch your virtual savings bank fill as you stay under target. Optionally earmark a slice for charity.

🔥 STREAKS & WILLPOWER — good days, walk-away wins, 12-week journey.

⊞ HOME SCREEN WIDGET — your saved time, always visible.

HOW SCROLLCONTROL DETECTS TRACKED APPS

ScrollControl uses an Android foreground service to detect the moment you open one of your tracked apps, so the mindful pause can fire at that exact moment. The service runs continuously in the background — including after your phone restarts — with a persistent notification ("Watching for tracked apps…") that stays visible so you always know it's active. The pause is the app's core feature; without this service running, it cannot fire when you open a tracked app.

All monitoring happens on your device using Android Usage Stats. No usage data is transmitted, shared, or sold. You can stop the service at any time by uninstalling ScrollControl or revoking Usage Access in Android Settings.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICE (OPTIONAL)

If you open your tracked apps in a browser (for example, youtube.com in Chrome or Firefox), ScrollControl can optionally use the Android AccessibilityService API to detect this and fire the same mindful pause. This closes the "browser loophole" so your decision to scroll less is honoured whether you open the native app or the site in a browser.

The service reads only the URL currently loaded in the browser's address bar — never page contents, keystrokes, form fields, or anything outside the URL bar. Matching against your tracked-app list happens on your device in memory and is discarded. Nothing is logged, stored, or sent to any server.

The Accessibility Service is off by default. Before it can be enabled, ScrollControl shows a clear in-app disclosure explaining what the service does and why. You can turn it off at any time in Settings → Accessibility → ScrollControl, or from ScrollControl → Account → Browser detection.

THREE LAYERS OF FRICTION

Pause — a mindful moment when you open a tracked app.
Nudge — mid-session check-ins every 10-30 minutes.
Break — a longer shield after 30-60 minutes of cumulative use.

Pick a preset (Light, Steady, Strong) or fine-tune each knob yourself.

HOW IT WORKS

Pick up to 9 apps to track from a catalogue of 30+ (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Amazon and more), or add your own. Set an ideal daily target. ScrollControl adjusts a moving weekly target based on real usage — 5% tighter when you improve, easing back if you slip. Set your hourly rate. Open a tracked app; take the pause; walk away or carry on.

SELF-DIRECTED, PRIVATE

No cloud accounts. No account required. All data stays on your device. No data shared with third parties. Free to download; a monthly subscription with a 3-day free trial unlocks all features. Cancel anytime in Google Play — no friction, no dark patterns.

PRIVACY POLICY: https://www.scrollcontrol.io/privacy
TERMS OF SERVICE: https://www.scrollcontrol.io/terms
QUESTIONS? andrew@scrollcontrol.io