142
About an hour of short-form video, split by app.
Illustrative example · not real user data
Android · Reels · Shorts · TikTok
Face the
Face the
Digital Drift.
ScrollTrace is a free Android app that counts how many Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok videos you swipe through each day, and estimates the time it took. It doesn't block anything. It shows you the number, so you can decide what to change.
FreeAndroid 8.0+Optional Prov2.5.0
Reels today
11
≈ Time
4m 02s
Daily Reels limit reached20 Reels · about 7 min. Time for something else?
01 / The signal
Data generic
Data generic
trackers miss.
Android's Digital Wellbeing says Instagram was open for an hour. It can't tell you 40 minutes of that was Reels. ScrollTrace counts the short videos themselves.
Set a limit for Reels and Shorts
Get a notification when you pass it. The apps keep working; the decision stays yours.
The heatmap shows the late-night and after-lunch windows where scrolling starts.
Illustrative week · 7 days × 24 hours
See whether a change is actually working.
Illustrative trend
22s · 35s · 20s
Typical length used per Reel, Short and TikTok. Count × length = estimated time. The count is exact; the time is an estimate.
02 / Method
Three steps.
Three steps.
Two minutes.
Install from Google Play
Sign in with Google or continue as a guest.
Turn on the Accessibility service
It lets ScrollTrace notice each swipe to a new video in Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. It doesn't read what's on screen.
Scroll like you always do
Open ScrollTrace later for your count, estimated time, and when it happened.
03 / Live trace
This page has been
This page has been
tracing you.
Since you arrived, we've measured how far your thumb or wheel has travelled down this page. Now imagine that number for every Reel today.
Distance scrolled here
0.0m
Physical distance on a standard-density screen.
Screens swiped · time here
0 / 0:00
One screen-height is roughly one Reel swipe. ScrollTrace counts those inside Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
04 / Is it for you
Measure, block,
Measure, block,
or pause?
Doomscrolling apps come in three kinds. ScrollTrace is the measuring one.
ScrollTrace
TrackerShows the number. Never blocks.
Pause appAdds friction before opening.
BlockerRemoves the feed entirely.
ScrollTrace fits if
- You suspect Reels eat your evenings but don't know how much
- You want to cut down, not quit, and need a number
- You still want DMs and long YouTube videos
Pick something else if
- You want Reels physically blocked: use a blocker
- You want a pause before opening: use a friction app
- You're on iPhone: ScrollTrace is Android only
05 / Privacy
What it sees.
What it sees.
What it never sees.
The Accessibility service is locked to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Your scroll history is stored on your phone, and you can export or wipe it from Settings.
Sees
- That a scroll happened
- Whether you're in Reels, Shorts or TikTok
- Which of the three apps is open
Never sees
- Captions or comments
- Usernames or profiles
- Messages
- The videos themselves
06 / Questions
Asked and answered.
Q.01What is ScrollTrace?
ScrollTrace is a free Android app that counts how many Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok videos you swipe through each day, and estimates how much time that took. It shows when and where you doomscroll so you can decide what to change. It is made by Badal Lalwani, an independent developer in Jabalpur, India.
Q.02Does ScrollTrace block Reels or Shorts?
No. ScrollTrace measures short-form scrolling; it does not block or hide feeds. You can set a daily limit for Reels and Shorts and get an alert when you pass it, but the apps keep working. If you want a hard block, use a blocker app alongside it.
Q.03Which apps does ScrollTrace track?
Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok (including TikTok Lite). It only counts swipes in the short-video player. Regular Instagram feed, Stories, YouTube long videos and messages are not counted.
Q.04How does ScrollTrace calculate time spent?
Each swipe to a new video counts as one video. Time is estimated by multiplying the count by a typical video length: about 22 seconds per Instagram Reel, 35 seconds per YouTube Short and 20 seconds per TikTok. It is an estimate, not a stopwatch.
Q.05Is ScrollTrace free?
Yes. ScrollTrace is free to download and tracking is free. An optional Pro subscription adds deeper analytics, reality-check cards, pattern analysis and custom alerts. Current prices are shown in Google Play.
Q.06Does ScrollTrace work on iPhone?
No. ScrollTrace is Android only and needs Android 8.0 or later. iOS does not allow apps to observe scrolling in other apps.
Q.07Why does ScrollTrace need the Accessibility permission?
Android's Accessibility Service is the only way an app can notice that you swiped to the next video inside Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. ScrollTrace limits the service to those apps and uses it only to detect scroll events and whether you are in Reels, Shorts or TikTok. It does not read post text, comments, usernames or messages.
Q.08Does my scroll data leave my phone?
Your scroll history is stored in a database on your phone. ScrollTrace also sends limited usage analytics to Google Firebase (for example, that a Reel was scrolled, with no content) and uses Google sign-in and a subscription provider for accounts and payments. Full details are on the privacy page.
Q.09Can I delete my data?
Yes. In Settings → Privacy & Data, choose Delete all data to wipe your scroll history from the phone. You can also export everything as a CSV file first.