Roll not scroll

Two minutes, once

Make it automatic

The wheel only helps if you open it, and the scroll starts before you've decided anything. So let your phone open the wheel for you, the moment a feed app opens. This is your phone's own automation. No account, no download, nothing to install from us.

iPhone

iOS 17 or later. On older versions the automation asks before it runs.

  1. Open Shortcuts. Tap Automation at the bottom, then + (New Automation).
  2. Scroll to App. Tap Choose and pick the app that eats your evenings. Instagram, TikTok, whichever. Keep Is Opened checked.
  3. Choose Run Immediately, not "Run After Confirmation." Tap Next.
  4. Tap New Blank Automation, tap Add Action, search for Open URLs, and type rollnotscroll.com.
  5. Tap Done. That's it.

Now the thumb goes to Instagram and lands on the wheel. Repeat for each feed app. If you'd rather be asked first, pick "Run After Confirmation" in step 3. To turn it off, open Automation, tap the rule, and switch it off.

Android

Samsung Galaxy

  1. First put the wheel on your home screen: open rollnotscroll.com in Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu, then Add to Home screen (or Install).
  2. Open Modes and Routines (it's in Settings). Tap Routines, then +.
  3. Under If, scroll to the Event section and tap App opened. Pick the feed app.
  4. Under Then, tap Open an app or do an app action and pick Roll Not Scroll.
  5. Save it. Give it a name if it asks.

Any Android phone

Android has no built-in "when an app opens" rule, so this uses a free automation app. MacroDroid is the easiest; Tasker works the same way.

  1. Install MacroDroid from the Play Store and tap Add Macro.
  2. Trigger: Applications → Application Launched/Closed → Launched → pick the feed app.
  3. Action: Applications → Open Website → https://rollnotscroll.com.
  4. Save. MacroDroid will ask for the permission it needs to notice app launches; that stays on your phone.

The no-setup version

Put the wheel where the feed app was.

iPhone: open rollnotscroll.com in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Hold the Instagram icon, drag it to the last page or into a folder, and drop the wheel in its old spot.

Android: open it in Chrome, tap ⋮, then Add to Home screen. Move the feed app off the first page and put the wheel where it was.

Your thumb goes where it always goes. It just lands somewhere better.

What this doesn't do

It doesn't block anything. If you still want the feed, close the wheel and it's right there. The wheel's job is to give you one thing to do instead, not to stand in the doorway.

Back to the wheel