Gloom Scroller

MOVE FIRST. SCROLL SECOND.

You already know you scroll too much. So does everyone. I'm not here to lecture you about it. I'm here to make you stand up for 60 seconds first.

I lock your social media apps until you move. Not a workout. Not a punishment. Just a tiny pause that changes the rest of your day.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Pick which apps I lock — Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, whatever your vice is.
2. Try to open one. I step in.
3. Do something — jumping jacks, squats, marching in place, dancing. Anything.
4. Put your finger on your phone's camera. I estimate your heart rate using the light and your pulse.
5. Heart rate above your threshold? I unlock your apps. Go scroll guilt-free.

That's the deal.

WHY IT WORKS

I'm not the screen time police. Everyone scrolls. Everyone scrolls a little too much. That's fine. I just insert a tiny pause before the scroll begins.

The exercise is the mechanism. The interruption is the point. 60 seconds of movement changes what happens in the next 60 minutes. You might not go back to bed. You might cook dinner instead of doom-spiraling on the couch. You might start your day early.

Minimum effective dose. Tim Ferriss called it the smallest input that produces the outcome. No gym. No shower. No changing clothes. You can do it in pyjamas, at your desk, first thing out of bed. Zero friction.

FEATURES

- Camera-based heart rate estimation — no Apple Watch, no chest strap, no gadgets. Just your phone's camera and your fingertip.
- Choose which apps to block. One for free. Unlimited with premium.
- Customizable heart rate threshold — set your own bar.
- Smart exercise rotation — I pick movements that target different muscle groups so you're not doing squats every single time.
- Streak tracking — because streaks are motivating and you know it.
- Heart lives — skip guilt-free when you need to. It's built into the game.
- Privacy first — your heart rate data stays on your device. Never uploaded, never shared, never sold.

WHO I'M FOR

- The person who says "just 5 minutes" and looks up 2 hours later.
- The person who has tried 3 screen time apps and bypassed all of them.
- The person who wants to move more but can't find the motivation.
- The person who reaches for their phone before their feet hit the floor.
- Non-exercisers especially. No gym. No equipment. No spandex. Just 60 seconds and whatever you're wearing.

THE CAMERA THING

PPG — photoplethysmography — uses your phone's camera and flashlight to detect blood flow changes in your fingertip. I use it to estimate whether your heart rate is elevated after exercise. It's not medical-grade — it's an approximate check that you actually moved. Sometimes I'm generous. If I get it wrong and you get a free pass, you still moved. The interrupt worked.

PRIVACY

Your heart rate data stays on your device. Period. Never uploaded, never shared, never sold. No account required to use the app. If you sign in with Apple, your settings and streaks sync — but your heart rate data stays local. Always.

HEALTH DISCLAIMER

I'm not a medical device. Heart rate readings are estimates and may vary based on device, skin tone, and conditions. Do not use this app for medical decisions. Consult a physician before starting any exercise program.

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Gloom Scroller. Earn your scroll.

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Privacy Policy: https://gloomscroller.com/privacy

Questions? dev@gloomscroller.com