Repscroll Review: My Honest Experience After 30 Days
I've tried everything to reduce my screen time. App blockers, grayscale mode, leaving my phone in another room, digital detox challenges—you name it, I've attempted it. Nothing stuck for more than a week.
Then I discovered Repscroll, an app that requires physical exercise to unlock social media. Skeptical but desperate, I committed to using it for 30 days. Here's my completely honest review of what happened.
My Starting Point
Before Repscroll, my screen time was embarrassing. My iPhone's Screen Time report showed:
- Daily average: 5 hours 23 minutes
- Social media: 3 hours 12 minutes (mostly Instagram and TikTok)
- Pickups: 78 times per day
- Exercise: Maybe once a week if I felt guilty enough
I wasn't proud of these numbers, but I felt powerless to change them. Every time I tried to cut back, I'd last a few days before slipping back into old habits.
Setting Up Repscroll
The setup process took about five minutes. The app walks you through:
- Selecting which apps require exercise (I chose Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter)
- Choosing your exercises (I started with pushups and squats)
- Setting how many reps per unlock (I chose 15)
- Calibrating the camera for exercise detection
The interface is clean and simple—nothing flashy, which I appreciated. It doesn't try to be a social fitness app or gamify everything. It just does one thing: makes you exercise before scrolling.
Week 1: The Reality Check
Days 1-3: Shocking Awareness
The first few days were eye-opening. I didn't realize how often I mindlessly opened Instagram. Every time I reached for the app, Repscroll appeared, and I had to decide: do I really want to scroll badly enough to do 15 pushups?
Often, the answer was no. I'd put my phone down and realize I didn't even have a reason for opening the app. It was pure habit.
When I did complete the exercises, something interesting happened. By the time I finished 15 pushups, caught my breath, and opened the app, I'd often forgotten what I wanted to see. The urge had passed.
Days 4-7: Soreness and Doubt
By day four, my arms were sore. I hadn't done this many pushups since high school gym class. I counted 127 pushups on day three alone—just from normal phone usage.
I'll be honest: I considered quitting. My muscles ached, and part of me resented having to "earn" access to apps I'd used freely for years.
But I also noticed something positive. I was sleeping better, possibly because I wasn't doom-scrolling before bed. The exercise requirement made late-night Instagram checks too annoying.
Week 1 Stats:
- Total pushups: 634
- Total squats: 412
- Screen time: 3 hours 41 minutes (down from 5+ hours)
- Pickups: 52 per day (down from 78)
Week 2: Finding a Rhythm
Days 8-14: Adaptation
The soreness faded as my body adapted. Pushups became easier, which surprised me—I was actually getting stronger from something that felt so incidental.
I started to notice a mental shift. Instead of dreading the exercise interruption, I began to appreciate the mini-breaks. Fifteen squats became a quick energy boost that often left me more alert than scrolling would have.
The most unexpected benefit? My mood improved. I wasn't comparing myself to highlight reels as often. When I did use social media, I was more intentional—checking specific things rather than aimlessly browsing.
Week 2 Stats:
- Total pushups: 589
- Total squats: 478
- Screen time: 2 hours 58 minutes
- Pickups: 41 per day
Week 3: Visible Results
Days 15-21: Physical Changes
Three weeks in, I started noticing physical changes. My arms looked more defined. Getting up from the floor after pushups felt easier. I had more energy in the afternoons when I used to hit a slump.
Friends asked if I'd started working out. Technically, I had—but it didn't feel like working out. It felt like a side effect of trying to scroll.
I increased my requirements to 20 reps per unlock, partly because 15 had become too easy and partly because I wanted to challenge myself. That's a sentence I never expected to write.
Week 3 Stats:
- Total pushups: 687
- Total squats: 544
- Screen time: 2 hours 22 minutes
- Pickups: 35 per day
Week 4: The New Normal
Days 22-30: Habit Formation
By week four, something fundamental had changed. The exercise requirement no longer felt like an obstacle—it felt like part of using social media. Just like typing a password to unlock my phone, doing pushups before Instagram became automatic.
More importantly, my relationship with my phone had shifted. I picked it up less often because I'd learned that most of those pickups were meaningless. When I did use social media, I enjoyed it more because I'd made a conscious choice to engage.
I also discovered I could do 30 consecutive pushups for the first time in my life. At 34 years old, I was in better shape than I'd been in my twenties.
Week 4 Stats:
- Total pushups: 742
- Total squats: 601
- Screen time: 2 hours 8 minutes
- Pickups: 31 per day
30-Day Results Summary
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily screen time | 5h 23m | 2h 8m | -60% |
| Social media time | 3h 12m | 1h 15m | -61% |
| Daily pickups | 78 | 31 | -60% |
| Total pushups | 0/week | 2,652/month | +∞ |
| Total squats | 0/week | 2,035/month | +∞ |
What I Liked About Repscroll
The Core Concept Works
Adding physical friction to app access is genuinely effective. Unlike app blockers that I'd eventually bypass or ignore, the exercise requirement creates just enough barrier to break mindless habits without completely restricting access.
Exercise Detection Is Accurate
I was skeptical that an app could count reps accurately, but Repscroll's detection works well. It tracks form and only counts completed reps. You can't cheat by doing half pushups or bouncing through squats.
It's Simple
No social features, no leaderboards, no gamification overload. It does one thing well. This simplicity made it easy to stick with.
Genuine Fitness Gains
I didn't download Repscroll for fitness—I downloaded it for screen time management. Getting significantly stronger was an unexpected bonus that keeps me motivated to continue.
What Could Be Improved
Android Support
As of my review, Repscroll is iOS only. Android users don't have access yet, which excludes a huge potential user base. The developers have mentioned Android is in development.
Limited Exercise Variety
The current exercise selection covers the basics (pushups, squats, planks, jumping jacks, lunges), but more variety would be welcome. I'd love to see options for pull-ups, burpees, or even walking/steps.
No Apple Watch Integration
It would be great if Repscroll could track exercises via Apple Watch instead of requiring the phone camera. This would allow more flexibility in where you exercise.
Occasional Detection Glitches
About 5% of the time, the exercise detection would miss a rep or take a moment to start tracking. Not a dealbreaker, but slightly frustrating when you're eager to check something quickly.
Who Should Use Repscroll?
Repscroll is ideal for:
- Mindless scrollers who pick up their phone without thinking
- Fitness-curious people who struggle to exercise consistently
- Anyone who's tried and failed with traditional screen time limits
- People who want control, not just restriction
Repscroll might not be for:
- Those with physical limitations that prevent bodyweight exercises
- People who rarely use social media (you won't get many exercise triggers)
- Anyone who needs strict, absolute app blocking
Is Repscroll Worth It?
For me, absolutely yes. In 30 days, I cut my screen time by more than half while completing nearly 5,000 exercises. That's value I couldn't have achieved through willpower alone.
The free version offers enough features to test whether the concept works for you. The premium version adds more customization, but it's not necessary to get started.
If you've struggled with screen time and want to get fitter, Repscroll is worth a try. The worst case? You'll do some pushups and realize it's not for you. The best case? You'll transform both your digital habits and your physical health.
My Verdict
Rating: 4.5/5
Repscroll isn't perfect, but it's the most effective screen time management tool I've ever used. More importantly, it's the only one that made me healthier in the process.
I'm continuing to use it beyond my 30-day trial. The combination of reduced screen time and increased fitness is too valuable to give up.
Download Repscroll on the App Store
Note: I'm not affiliated with Repscroll and wasn't compensated for this review. I downloaded it like any other user and these are my genuine results.