Mobile Application by Fair Worlds
Chain Scroll
Quit mindless scrolling with a pack of 20 a day
Chain Scroll is an iPhone app that limits the apps you open without thinking to a daily pack of 20 "light-ups." Each one buys a 3-minute scroll break, then the app locks again. No account, no tracking: everything stays on your phone.
iPhone · iOS 17+Free forever to block one app · $5.99 once unlocks everythingNo data collected
How Chain Scroll works
Step 1
Pick your brand
Choose the apps you open without thinking: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, whatever eats your day. Chain Scroll puts Apple's Screen Time shield in front of each one.
Step 2
Light up, or not now
Every open asks first. Light up and one comes out of today's pack of 20, buying a 3-minute scroll break. Not now sends you home, no count. The number you see is always what's left.
Step 3
It burns in real time
A countdown runs in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen. When it's out, the app locks back up. Close early and the rest is stubbed out, just like the real thing.
Step 4
Watch the pack drain
Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show what's left today. At midnight you get a fresh pack, and every Sunday the carton review shows your week in packs.
Step 5
Choose your friction
Light up right on the shield in the app you're opening, come to Chain Scroll first, or make it physical: no lighter, no light-up. Each step is a little more friction between you and the scroll.
Peel a sticker. Tap to light up. One's lit.
Lighter mode
A lighter for your phone
Most screen time apps live inside the phone you're trying to put down. Lighter mode moves the switch outside it.
- Peel a sticker, stick it on an old lighter, and pair it once in Settings.
- From then on, lighting up means picking up the lighter and tapping it to the top of your iPhone.
- Leave it in the kitchen, the car or a drawer. Want to scroll? Go get your lighter.
- No batteries, no charging, no Bluetooth. Just a blank NFC sticker that costs about a dollar.
- Forgot it? Borrow a light, three a day, counted separately. No hard locks, ever.
Meet the ex-smoker who built it
Erik Horn, co-founder of Fair Worlds, on quitting cigarettes, getting hooked on scrolling, and why Chain Scroll treats your phone like a pack of 20.
At a glance
- Platform
- iPhone, iOS 17 or later
- Price
- Free forever to block one trigger app. $5.99, once, unlocks every app, every blend, weekly trends and lighter mode. Try it all free for 30 days first. No subscription.
- Privacy
- No data collected
- Built on
- Apple Screen Time (Family Controls)
- Lighter mode
- Optional. Any blank NTAG213 NFC sticker becomes your lighter.
- Made by
- Fair Worlds, Austin & Seattle
- Website
- https://chainscroll.com
Questions
What is Chain Scroll?
Chain Scroll is an iPhone app for people who want to scroll less. It treats the apps you open without thinking like a pack of cigarettes: you get a pack of 20 light-ups a day, each light-up opens your trigger apps for a 3-minute scroll break, and then they lock again.
How is it different from Apple's Screen Time limits?
Screen Time sets a daily time limit and cuts you off. Chain Scroll counts opens instead, so every reach for your phone becomes a small decision: light up, or not now. It's built on Apple's Screen Time, so Apple does the blocking.
Can Chain Scroll see which apps I use?
No. Apple's Screen Time design hands the app opaque tokens instead of app names, so Chain Scroll never learns which apps you picked. There's no account, no server and no analytics; everything stays on your iPhone.
Is there a subscription?
No, never. Chain Scroll is free forever to block one trigger app, with both widgets. A single $5.99 purchase unlocks everything else: unlimited apps, every blend, weekly trends, custom pack sizes and lighter mode. You can try all of it free for 30 days first.
Can I change the pack size or how long a light-up lasts?
Yes. A light-up can last 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes, and with the unlock you can set the pack to 5, 10, 15 or 20 a day.
What is lighter mode?
Lighter mode turns a $1 NFC sticker into a physical switch for your phone. Stick it on an old lighter and pair it, and lighting up means picking up the lighter and tapping it to your iPhone. Put the lighter in another room and every scroll costs you a walk. It's part of the one-time unlock.
What do I need for lighter mode?
Any blank, writable NFC sticker (search for NTAG213; a pack of ten runs about $10). Buy on-metal stickers if your lighter is metal. No other app or hardware needed; Chain Scroll writes the sticker itself when you pair it.
What if I forget my lighter?
You can borrow a light three times a day, counted separately in your pack. Out of borrows, the pack waits for your lighter. Turning lighter mode off in Settings brings the Light up button back any time.
Does it work on Android or iPad?
Chain Scroll is an iPhone app for now.
Why a studio built an app
Most of what we make at Fair Worlds is for clients: AR, VR and 3D experiences that change how people see something. Chain Scroll is the same idea turned on a habit, and a working showcase of what we build on iOS: Screen Time and Family Controls, widgets, Live Activities, NFC, and in-app purchases, shipped and maintained on the App Store.
See more, including the lighter and the film, at chainscroll.com.
